Time and Space: the Nexus
by KiddyGrade8
Summary: Count Dracula has fallen, but his son lives on. When a stranger appears in Mahora Academy, Negi and his friends find themselves dragged into a conflict bigger than anyone could have imagined, and not all of them can hope to escape it alive. Chapter 1 revised 7 November 2012, revision in-progress.
1. Morning Breaks

**Time and Space: the Nexus**

**by KiddyGrade8**

**FOREWORD  
**This is the revision of my second story, and I hope you enjoy it. With any luck, this second attempt will be superior to the first (as the first was admittedly terrible). If you have the time, I'd appreciate it if you'd take the time to review my story. Comments are warmly accepted, but I would prefer constructive criticism so that my writing may improve. And do not just try to dig at the story. If you have criticisms, do not voice them without suggestions as to how I should improve them. Senseless smashing will simply be ignored.

This story is the sequel to my first story and is a crossover of many series.

**CHAPTER 1**

A dense fog drifted gently over the early morning grounds of Mahora Academy, shrouding much from view. If one listened carefully, birds could be heard singing their sweet and gentle song somewhere in the distance while the sun broke the horizon somewhere beyond the milky veil. Not a single soul could be seen wandering the streets of Mahora Academy, save for one. A young red-headed paper girl jogged through the misty streets with her hair trailing behind her, memories of a recent nightmare plaguing her thoughts. Blackened streets painted with blood, buildings left in shambles, the giant bat-like monster…and the fear. The sheer overwhelming terror that had coursed through her body. Every so often these memories would superimpose themselves over the paper girl's reality, blacking out her world and submerging her in these wretched thoughts. They never lasted more than a second, but that second was never welcomed. They had been costing the paper girl much sleep lately. So much so that she had almost forgotten what "sleep" was. Every time she closed her eyes, she would be reminded of the Hell that they had all experienced that night. It was enough to make her cry. She'd lost count of how many nights she'd spent in tears, only her lover there to comfort her. That night…that black night…It had scarred her soul forever. She would never be able to forget the terror and the despair that she had felt that night.

As the paper girl jogged, lost in thought, she tossed a newspaper onto the doorstep of houses that she passed. She had no need to pay attention to where she ran. Her route had long-since been beaten into her head. Of course, the route was still severely damaged from when the monsters attacked. Houses still stood, yes; but most were not in prime condition. She wondered if there were even people still lingering in these shambles, or had they moved to a location of sturdier founding? It didn't matter. She did her job, and that is what mattered right now. As she reached into her bag for the next paper, she found herself brought to a sudden halt as she ran into someone. The paper girl picked herself up from the ground, profusely apologizing. She bowed deeply and paused as she began to notice what the man wore. She thought her heart stopped. He was moderately tall with silver-blond hair draping down just beyond his shoulders. His eyes were a dull red, yet reflected kindness, sincerity, and sorrow. He dressed well, with an air of elegance about wore a cloak, as black as a moonless night that nearly dragged the ground. His outfit (black, with a touch of gold) greatly contrasted with his snow white skin. Upon his hip, he carried a curious weapon: a sword with a grip like a rapier, yet with the blade of a long sword. The paper girl backed away, panicking. The man was familiar. He slowly walked up to her, crouching down to her level and telling her that all was forgiven. The paper girl avoided making eye contact with him, remembering what had happened last time. As she continued to back away, the man noticed that she moved with more fear than embarrassment and attempted to soothe her. This didn't work as well as he hoped, as she turned to run but found herself pinned against the remains of a wall. The man approached her silently through the mist. Again, he crouched down to her level, wondering why the paper girl was so terrified. As hard as she tried to avoid them, the girl still found herself drawn into his eyes and found herself reliving the moment she last looked into eyes like his.

The man stared blankly back into her eyes. It felt as though he were looking straight through her. After a terrifying minute passed, the man spoke softly and with understanding. He slowly raised his hand, gently informing her that he meant her no harm, and lightly place his forefinger against her temple. He muttered a few words in a foreign tongue and a faint blue glow appeared against her skin, causing her eyes to begin to droop. The glow faded away as he lowered his hand and tenderly caught the paper girl as she collapsed, unconscious. He whispered a small condolence to her prone form, he laid her out in a nearby patch of grass, taking care to not cause her injury, and disappeared back into the dense fog almost as suddenly as he had appeared.

* * *

Not even a mile from where the red-headed paper girl lie in slumber; another, younger, red-headed girl was finding herself inexplicably busy on her first day of work in a campus shop. To top it off, she was also gut-wrenchingly worried about her "Oneesama," whom she had not heard from since the day before last. Every time she paused in worry, her supervisor had to bark orders at her to get her to resume stocking the shelves in the store. Though her missing "Oneesama" was a major concern of hers, she also found herself worrying about the abundance of disappearances all throughout the academy and couldn't help but fear that the one she was missing most was among them. The girls of the academy were talking, as schoolgirls often do, spreading stories such as demons rising from the darkest pits of Hell to snatch up victims for their meals. Another common story was a rather old one, a tale of a vampire living on the school grounds. The clerk had heard many of these stories and couldn't help but worry about the validity of them, her timid and worrisome nature obstructing her sense of reason.

She jumped quite noticeably with the ringing of the doorbell that heralded the arrival of a customer as it jolted her from her mullings. Peeking around the corner of the shelf to see who had entered the small shop so early, she saw her supervisor talking to a man who seemed very out-of-place. The clerk felt as though she were looking at someone who had leapt straight out of the pages of a history book.

But that wasn't all.

She felt something from him. She wasn't exactly sure what it was, but it was something she'd never felt before. Not even when they were trapped in _Mundus Magicus_. This was something…more. The clerk thought that she could feel traces of evil from the man, but dismissed the feeling thinking it just her unease. She couldn't quite put her finger on it. It lingered there, like the line to a song that she couldn't quite recall. He looked too much like he belonged in an old European portrait, even the color in his face seemed to be faded with time. The way he moved even seemed too fluent to be real. Too precise. She watched from behind the shelf as the man bowed politely to her supervisor and left. Even after his departure, the clerk remained troubled about him. She exhaled nervously, her breath condensing darkly as it left her mouth. She watched out the window as the enigmatic newcomer paused outside to converse momentarily with the hot-blooded reporter that was passing by just outside. From how he dismissed himself, the clerk guessed that he was asking the reporter about the same topic he had discussed with her supervisor. Even as she merely watched through the window, he still scared her. It took her a moment, but she recognized the reporter. It was one of the girls in the young teacher's class, the teacher whom her Oneesama had quite the closet crush on.

Through the window, the reporter seemed to be more than willing to be of aid to the stranger. She chatted politely and pointed off in the direction of Library Island. She held her finger thoughtfully to her lips before pointing off towards her school building. The clerk watched as the man bowed politely to her, in a notably European fashion, and walked off into the fog. The reporter, on the other hand, walked over into the store next door. The clerk toyed with the idea of going to talk with her momentarily before the bell on the door of her own shop rang, signaling a customer and nicely throwing a wrench into her idea. She quickly looked from the window to watch a black-haired punk, her own admitted crush, walk into her store. Before the door even closed behind him, she grabbed his arm and dragged him off to the side to talk to him. The clerk asked the punk if he'd been feeling anything strange in the air that day. Consciously or not, he glanced off in the direction that the man had left and nodded nervously. The inquisitive clerk tried to probe deeper, but the punk refused to speak further. The clerk could have sworn that a bead of sweat dripped down the side of his head as she hesitantly released the shoulder that she had been gripping. She looked out the window with a terrible feeling of dread filling the deepest pits of her stomach as she prayed that another nightmare would not befall these tattered ruins of an academy.

* * *

A young librarian sat behind her desk in the early hours of this dreary morn, whittling away the hours before class going through the books from the return box. Her job was tedious, sure, but she always found pleasure while surrounded by these countless numbers of books. Even in this environment, she still found it hard to slake her thirst for knowledge. Today, however, she found no pleasure in the books around her. Her mind was distracted by and incident not-too-long passed, where someone dear to her heart found himself badly injured and has sported a series of three parallel scars across his face since. She knew that there was nothing that she could have done to help him, yet she still felt pained because of that. While the librarian was lost in thought, her young scholarly friend next to her tried to reassure the librarian that his injuries weren't her fault and that she shouldn't let it bug her. In spite of the scholar's attempts at consolation, the librarian was still upset by the feeling of uselessness. She slowly opened the book in her hands, marked it as "returned," and placed it into the pile of returned books.

The scholar closed the book she was holding, loosed a sigh under her breath, and spoke in a tender (yet stern) voice. She told the librarian off, telling her that senseless worry would not get her anywhere, that if she were truly concerned that she would work as hard as she can so that she would be able to protect him next time. The librarian paused. She knew that the scholar was right, but she still felt an unbearable fear whenever she thought back to the incident. The sky itself had fallen to utter darkness as its master wreaked havoc upon the school and she, herself, found that she had been made a puppet, if only for a brief moment. She felt a gut-wrenching pain whenever she thought back to the sight of he loved one, battered, broken, and bloodied, laid out in an unconscious slumber in the infirmary. Before she knew it, she felt anger boil up inside of her. She slammed the book shut and shouted at the scholar that she wasn't amazing like their sensei, that she wasn't powerful or talented, that, ultimately, she didn't have what it takes to keep up…that, in the end, he would leave her behind and forget about her. She gripped the skin over her heart tightly in pain as she thought about that.

The scholar was silent for a moment, then opened her mouth to speak, but couldn't find the words. The outburst was very out of character for the librarian, who silently spoke the scholar's name, followed by a quiet apology. The librarian trembled where she stood before vaulting over the desk and running off amidst the endless sea of bookshelves, the scholar calling out after her. The librarian ran, heartbroken, through shelf after shelf passing by her. She could feel a tear slip mutely down her cheek as her grief finally conquered her. She was so wrapped up in her dreadful thoughts that she ran full-force into a patron, the two of them collapsing to the ground the moment their balances were disrupted. The librarian fell backwards, landing roughly on her posterior, while the gentleman she nearly tackled merely staggered a few steps. She stood up quickly, apologizing profusely and bowing deeply, her hair draping down over her eyes and obscuring her vision of the man. He patted her tenderly on the head, lightly ruffling the girl's purple-colored hair, telling her that she had no reason to apologize, that it was nothing more than a simple accident and that everybody had them.

The librarian apologized again before she dusted herself off and started off to disappear among the shelves again, but stopped as he called out to her wanting to pose a question. She turned around as he slowly and nervously when he asked if she knew of a girl he was looking for. She did. She was the one he was looking for. She quietly affirmed this for the man, asking what he needed her for as she looked him over for the first time. She knew who has was and heaved a heavy sigh of relief that did not go unnoticed to the man, who proceeded to ask if she were alright. She glanced up quizzically before she realized that she'd sighed noticeably. Flustered, she explained herself to the man; who was surprised to learn that she knew who he was.

The fog of worry lifted, the librarian was much more willing to help the gentleman with anything he needed and gladly gave him the information he sought. Specifically, the location of a person. He bowed to her in thanks and she bowed back, explaining that the pleasure was hers. Though the girl knew he was no enemy, she thoughtfully brushed a stand of lavender hair from her face as she wondered just why such a distinguished figured wanted with her teacher. She glanced quickly at the clock that sat silently on the wall, watching all, and jumped when she realized that she was late leaving for class. In a panicked hurry, she rushed to the desk she sat at not long before, fetched her bag from behind it, and scrambled out the door.

* * *

Morning was now coming into full swing over the campus of Mahora Academy as the mysterious visitor stood silently before the forest of the World Tree. A dark and heavy fog had settled around the forest, and he could feel a malicious miasma emanating from deep within its opaque depths. However, he could also feel a strong magical presence. Left with no other option, the elegantly dressed gentleman inhaled deeply and stepped foot within.


	2. Exodus

**CHAPTER 2**

Night had never been so bitterly cold than this fateful summer night. Alucard, Negi, and Kotarô spent this time patrolling the grounds. Alucard claimed that now, more than ever, an attack was possible. Apparently, a group that rivaled his own tried to stop the Genesai by murdering their clients. On top of that, they rescued the worst of the worst, the scum of the universe(s?). The Rukavi. Supposedly, the Rukavi was an organization similar to that called "the Akatsuki", whatever that was, that desired power and domination over all. They had come and claimed Fate already and left, though they may return to stop Alucard. To kill them all.

Alucard grew more frustrated with every passing hour that held no sign of Nekane or Anya. "DAMN! What is taking so long? We open the portal in six hours, and we can't leave without them! Argh!" He drew his sword and felled several trees.

Perhaps frustrated wasn't the right word.

xXxXxXx

"My deepest apologies, Master. The little one insisted on repeatedly stopping to use a restroom." The creature bowed low in Alucard's presence. It was small with a very dark green skin. Hairless, its nails were untrimmed and its eyes were black as night. Protruding from its back were two petite bat-like wings. It wore only a dirtied loincloth. "It doesn't matter. I still have time to open the portal. I bid you leave." The creature bowed deeply again. "Thank you, Master. I shall see you on the other side." The creature burst into flames, and vanished into smoke. "Goblins, So highly effective, yet so bad at remaining on task." Alucard turned towards the ladies and bowed himself. "You beautiful young ladies must be Nekane Springfield and Anya Cocolova. I am Alucard Tepes, your escort. It is an honor to be at your service.

Nekane thanked him, but Anya scoffed. "'Bout damn time someone around here learns to use their manners. Negi could learn something from him. Where's the food? I'm starving." Anya wandered off, looking for food. "Don't worry. She knows her way around Mahora. So, Mr...Tepes, was it? I can only assume that, judging from your garb and accent, that you are the son of the infamous Count Vald 'Dracula' Tepes?" Alucard, still bowing, sputtered. "I am, milady. Is the resemblance honestly so striking?"

"It is. I hope that you don't betray my trust." She hesitated. "How long are you going to bow to me?" The reply was simple. "I will not betray your trust, and I will remain like this until you give me permission to rise. It's the Code."

"oh, please. There's no need to be so formal. It looks like we're all going to become very good friends." Alucard stood up straight and gazed upon her. He felt his heart skip beats. Such beauty had he never gazed upon before, not even Maria. Surely, she must be a goddess condemned to live a mortal life. So beautiful...

She giggled. "You're blushing." She was being playfully cute on purpose. It didn't help. "Please, Ms. Springfield. I will escort you to the temporary barracks. Please try to get some sleep, as we leave at daybreak." Nekane thanked him for his hospitality, but declined his offer. She wanted to go visit Negi, and Alucard would be able to begin his ritual, as Negi was just in sight. Alucard bid her good night and called Anya back to stay with Nekane. Alucard bid them good night again, and rushed off towards the World Tree.

xXxXxXx

Magic manifested itself, spiraling up the World Tree and disappearing into the skies above. Winds whipped around, agitated by the nearby disturbance. Alucard stood in the middle of this hellish maelstrom, palms outward, reciting a chant in a long decease language. The spatial fabric twisted and contorted violently before him. Ripples formed and were demolished by the waves in the dimensional fabric. Space itself was being torn asunder, as was Alucard's heart. Maria...She was special. No one could ever be anything she ever was. But Nekane...She was something else. She was the first person to not fear him, even slightly, upon learning who he was. WHAT he was. Who his father was. Not even Maria could claim that. Nekane trusted him, as only Maria had done. Maria trusted him to rescue her best friend, Richter, and stop Alucard's own father. Nekane trusted him to not only to save her and all of 3-A, but everyone. Why? What grounds did she have to trust him?

The disruptions in the spatial fabric intensified, forcing Alucard to concentrate. It was only a matter of time now. He looked upon the blood red sky above. There was a fissure.

The race was on.

xXxXxXx

Chairs pushed aside, a campfire burned brightly in the middle of the food court. Gathered around were the survivors of 3-A. At least, those who were leaving. Ayaka sat staring blankly into the fire, a blanket and Asuna's arm around her. Ayaka leaned on her. Nodoka lay asleep, head in Kazumi's lap, which Kazumi absent-mindedly stroked. Konoka and Setsuna had long since disappeared, as to why was anyone's guess. They preferred not to.

Nobody said a word, they just looked at the fire. A gentle sadness filled the room. Nobody turned to look as the doors opened and in trudged Negi and Kotarô, followed by Anya and Nekane. Kotarô sat down next to Chizuru, who laid her head on his shoulder and quickly fell asleep. He blushed. Negi and Anya quietly sat down in a corner, hand in hand. Nobody was surprised, nobody cared. Nekane was content to just stand and stare out the window, wondering about the future. One question drifted endlessly in everybody's mind: _Is this all really happening?_

Ayaka began to gently sob into Asuna's shoulder. "Hey, now. What's the matter?" Asuna tenderly asked, but Ayaka shook her head. "I-It's nothing. I just... I just can't believe that I'm never going to see my family again. Isn't there anything we can do?" She began to sob again, and nobody said a word, all sympathizing. "At least you'll still have me."

A shock wave tore throughout the ruins of Mahora, shattering windows and collapsing unstable structures. Even the once proud World Tree shuddered under this power. _The portal is open! Everyone-to the World Tree ASAP! Time is short!_ The voice resonated inside their minds. Alucard. Everybody clamored to their feet and grabbed their bags (packed several hours earlier). Negi and Anya brushed past, closely followed by his sister. Everyone ran as fast as they could, as Alucard seemed frantic, and there was only one reason he'd be that frantic. Time was up.

During the half-mile dash, Mahora was hit with another earthquake. The sky split and shattered. Fragments of sky rained down and pelted earth, disintegrating of impact. 3-A decided to haul ass. The survivors ran as fast as their legs would carry them, dodging the falling sky as they ran. Awaiting them beneath the World Tree were Konoka, Setsuna, and Alucard, submerged in one of his safety bubbles. Inside was another white orb and a swirling vortex with strings of black energy leading to the tips of Alucard's fingers. His arms were held out to the side, supporting the vortex. He looked like a puppeteer operating his marionette. No sooner than the last student stepped foot into the sphere did the ground split and swallow the remains of the World Tree whole.

"So you're leaving?" Everyone except Alucard turned to look, but even he looked back over his shoulder. Konoka couldn't help but burst out in tears. "Grandpa! You're alive! Please, come with us! There's still room!" She made to help him in, but he stopped her with a single motion of his hand. "I cannot, Konoka. I'm so sorry." He turned to Alucard. "You have made wise choices. Eva and Chachamaru, Ayase-san, Asuna-san and Ayaka-san. Konoka, Setsuna, Nodoka-san and Asakura-san. Kū Fei, Sasaki-san, and Naba-san. You even have Kotarô-kun, Anya, and Nekane. I never even expected Nagase-san to accompany you...Listen. Do not lie to me, please. Tell me the truth, as a last request. I know of your plan. Do you intend to get these young ones involved?"

Alucard was silent for a moment, as everything collapsed into nothingness around them. "No. I don't think I ever did, Headmaster. Not if they didn't want to. I understand that they have the power, but..." Headmaster Konoe sighed deeply. "That's a relief. I bid you all farewell, then. Please, grant me just one more request: Please. Take care of my granddaughter for me." Alucard looked back at the portal. "Of course. I will raise her as if she were my own."

White tendrils of light pierced out from the inner orb and punctured the students. "Grandpa! Please!" He was already gone, lost to the Void. "Konoka-san! Please do not move, if any of us were to move now, they would be lost to the Void as well. I am going to temporarily make us a hive being, of single thought, with myself in control." The portal began to swirl more viciously, as the Void attempted to consume it, along with those about to enter. "Wait! Haruna's not here yet! I know she's coming! Please! Wait one more minute!" Yue was severely panicked, and unable to think clearly. "Ayase-san! No! There's no time! In another minute, we'll all be as good as dead!" She turned to run as Alucard pulled his arms back and submerged the spheres in the portal. Pressure closed in on all sides, threatening to strangle them all. Knowledge of all passed before their eyes as they picked up more speed through the wormhole.

Ayase Yue was not among them.


	3. New World, New Dangers

**CHAPTER 3**

Miyazaki Nodoka was the first to arise, with no memory of the trip after leaving. "Where...are we? The world shifted back into focus. A forest. The refugees of Mahora lay scattered throughout the glade, which was also dotted with ruin and debris. The rest of the class stirred, but did not awaken. Alucard and Chachamaru were nowhere to be seen. Somewhere off to the left, in the darkness of the trees, a twig snapped. Fear began to grip Nodoka. Surely she was just being paranoid. Somewhere new and unknown, in a creepy forest, it was only natural. Right? Another twig snapped. There was no mistake: there was something there. Fear encompassed Nodoka, and held her prisoner. There! Just beyond the reach of light, something was moving. "Wh-who's there?" The shadows drew near.

A rabbit.

Nodoka breathed a sigh of relief. Only a rabbit. Harmless. "Hi there, little bunny! Oh you're just so cute!" She slowly crept towards the rabbit, and a large orange foot came down on it. Nodoka screamed. Looking up for the first time, she realized that the trees were massive in size, and this creature was easily half their size. Its foot alone was bigger than she was. Nodoka considered running, but the terrain was unfamiliar. Besides, it was clearly faster. The creature just stared at her with surprise in its three eyes. It was scarred, its skin beaten into a leather-like texture from many battles over territory, and it wore nothing. It was male. If so many books had taught her anything, this creature would not stay surprised for long. One hand rested on the tree it had been coming around, while the other clutched an uprooted tree. It bared its razor sharp fangs and growled. A low rumbling noise that grew into a doglike bark. Fore tore through Nodoka again. It raised its tree, using it as a club. Was this the end?

Light filled the glade, causing the creature to stagger backwards blinded. A figure clad in white strode past Nodoka. With a sweep of their hand, winds tore through the forest slicing at the giant, which fell to its knees. A furious roar filled the air and shook the trees. The person raised their hand to the sky, and with a snap of their fingers beams of light bombarded the creature, piercing it completely and cleanly. It fell backwards onto itself, smoking, and died.

The hooded figure kneeled down and prayed out loud. It was a woman. "Lord God, I heavy-heartedly send another of Your wondrous creatures back to bathe in Your holy light so that more of Your beautiful creatures may live. I pray that You may find it in Your heart to forgive me, Lord God." Judging from the timbre of her voice, Nodoka estimated her to be about sixteen. She stood, she was about 5'6", and turned to Nodoka. "You are the survivors of TLRX-83097, yes?" Nodoka was already lost. "Um...pardon?" The young woman sighed. "The universe TLRX-83097. General Bloodbane was sent to retrieve you." Nodoka brushed some hair out of her face. "Uhhh...no. We were rescued by a man named Alucard. I've never heard of anyone named 'Bloodbane'."

The newcomer sighed again. "In the Genesai, we use code names for security. General Tepes is known to all but a few as General Bloodbane. I am one of those few." She reached up and pulled her hood back. She had vibrant brown hair that draped over her shoulder and down to her knees. Her skin was a healthy tan, and she wore a golden cross around her neck. "My name is August Rose; but for security reasons, I ask you to address me as Rosa outside of HQ. I specialize in 'white' magic." Her brown eyes sparkled. "I saw you all on reentry. Due to your rushed return, the target destination was off by about 1,700 feet, to be precise. Straight up, too. Seeing as how he's not here, I guess it was Alucard that fell first. The lack of his magic caused the sphere to dissipate about 300 feet later. You all fell quite a ways. It's a miracle that you all survived, considering you all are majorly concussed with several broken bones and ruptured organs. I'd best act quickly." She clapped her hands together above her head, and a beam of light shot out as she brought them apart in an arc. The light hesitated over the unconscious students and burst into several smaller orbs, which floated down and dissolved into naught but sparkling air and (eventually) nothing. Everyone woke.

Some propped themselves up near immediately, including Asuna and Kazumi, while others were content to just lay there for a while. Kotarô and Negi were on their feet in no time, examining the slain monster. August walked over and stood next to them. "May I assume that you are young master Springfield? Your father has been waiting for today for quite some time. You look just like him, though I'm sure you hear that often enough. Before you ask-you will see him soon enough."

"Where are Alucard and Chachamaru? What is this? Where are we?" Negi was exhausted, but continued to push himself. "Alucard is currently MIA and I had your robot transported back to headquarters for repairs. She had sustained critical damage upon impact, but will be fine and operational within the day. What you are looking at in an ogre. Brutal beasts they are, living only for violence. They are still one of God's beautiful creations."

"From what I hear, ogre-human half-breeds are amazing in the sack." Everyone looked around for the source of the voice. "Heads up!" Another young female dropped from above, Alucard hefted over her shoulder and unconscious. He had a large gash in the side of his head. The newcomer was fairly tall, at least 6'. She was dressed in a combination of dark blue and grey with a white cloak. On each hip she carried an insanely sharp katana, and across her back she hauled several fuma-clan shuriken. She wore a mask across her mouth and nose, while her short-cropped black hair was matted down with sweat. "I found him, Rosa. He's one heavy son of a bitch, and barely alive as it is. So if you don't mind..." She set him on the ground and indicated at his wound. "You're the survivors, right? TLRX-83097? I'm Harmony Rayne, first daughter of King Edge of Eblan. You call me Scorpi. We should move quickly; the Rukavi know we're here. They're sending _him_."

August froze in place, while the class watched Alucard' wound close upon itself. "Please tell me that information MAY be incorrect." Scorpi shook her head. "It's not." August promptly stood up. "We're leaving. Now. The fastest of you, grab the slower ones. I'll take Bloodbane." Nobody asked why, August's panic was reason enough. "Everybody ready? Follow me." August took off, and was followed closely. Asuna, carrying Ayaka, pulled next to August. "Rosa, just who is this guy to cause this much fear? Is he that tough?" August flinched, nearly falling. "Yes, he's that powerful. He's also known as the Nightmare. Hot only is he a master swordsman, but he's also mastered the arcane arts. He used to be one of the best Genesai operatives, but something changed. He's now number two in the Rukavi. He carries his sword, the demon blade Masamune, in his left hand. In all the years I knew him, the only time he ever even touched it with his right. That was when he fought Alucard upon his betrayal."

"Wait. If Alucard could fight him and survive, then surely we can..." Asuna never finished that sentence. "No! General Bloodbane is number two in the Genesai, stronger than all other operatives combined. With the exception of this guy, he could slaughter everyone in the Genesai _and_ the Rukavi all at once. Blindfolded. And crippled." Asuna was silent. "Al...I mean, Bloodbane's really that powerful?"

"Yes. He's had centuries to refine his technique. Apparently, there's something more...though I don't know how to put it. See, there are times when Bloodbane isn't Bloodbane, but something...different...evil. He becomes more violent, more bloodthirsty. According to him, only one person has stopped him like that. Her name was..."

"Rosa...no. They don't...need...to know. Not...yet." Alucard faded out of consciousness as quickly as he had regained it. August gasped, reaching out and pulling Asuna to the side just as a sword sliced through the air and pierced a tree. "Holy shit, that was close! I owe you my life, Rosa."

Everyone stopped dead. Who was is? "It's good to see you again Sergeant August Rose, Specialist Harmony Rayne." A tall man with long silver hair emerged from the shadows and removed the sword with little effort. "You seem to be doing well for yourselves. However, it all ends here." August and Harmony froze in terror.

"S-Sephiroth..."


	4. The Nexus

**CHAPTER 4**

Sephiroth, the Nightmare. Harbinger of Death. He dressed in black with silver pauldrons. His sword was as long as he was tall. He was clearly Japanese, with hatred brimming in his eyes and laced throughout his voice. Everyone was petrified by his mere presence. "What might you be doing here, in the middle of the forest, with a handful of schoolgirls? You know why I'm here, yes? Hand him over, and I may let you live." He held his hand out, as if to receive something, and didn't even flinch as several shuriken nearly tore it off. Harmony stood between Sephiroth and the refugees. Her swords were drawn, held backhand, and raised for battle. "Sephiroth, you bastard! I finally found you! Here you will pay for murdering my family and stealing our sacred sword!" She glanced back at August. "Go. Get them out of here. I'll buy you some time, and maybe get my revenge." August looked sad for a moment, and nodded. "Farewell." August Rose and the refugees of Mahora Academy vanished into the darkness of the forest.

"Harmony Rayne, heir of Eblan, do you honestly believe you can kill me?" Harmony tightened her grip on her swords. "My blades will taste your blood tonight, traitor. As a ninja of Eblanese lineage, I damn thee to Hell!" Using her hands, she rapidly wove signs in quick succession. "Bunshin no Jutsu! Art of the Doppelganger!" In an explosion of smoke and foliage, several mirror images of Harmony appeared. "Ere you die, Sephiroth!" Every image lunged forward , but vanished with a flash of steel as Harmony was thrown against a tree without her left arm. "Damn!" She swore. "Delusions of grandeur do not become you, ninja. Goodbye." He plunged his sword through her heart. She shuddered as blood poured from her mouth. "F-Fath...er...I...I...failed...you..." Drenched in her own blood and devoid of her vengeance; Specialist Harmony Rayne, last of ninja of Eblan, died.

"Stand and deliver!" The guardsmen stood poised to strike in their shiny black armor. By this time, Alucard was walking again. "Save your breath, Larry. You know damn well who I am." Alucard stumbled between the two. "If you haven't noticed: I'm injured. Are you going to open the god damned gateway or not?" The soldier stood at attention. "My apologies sir!" He hustled over to a keypad, on which he entered several passwords, then completed numerous bioscans. The cold steel of the gateway faded away into nothingness. Alucard turned. "All of you, inside." He was obviously in no condition to be walking. As soon as he gave the order, Rosa gasped. "Alucard! Sh-She's gone..."

Everyone was silent. Harmony had sacrificed her life so that they may have theirs. Did they even deserve it? "Rosa, are you sure?" With tears flowing down her face, she nodded. "Yes. Her life force is...gone..." She burst into tears. Harmony had been one of her best friends. "She was a good friend, and a good operative. But now is not the time to grieve. Sephiroth is coming. Inside, hurry. I will join you in a minute." Nekane helped a tearful August into the gateway, followed by Negi, Anya, 3-A, and the guards. Alucard drew his sword and stood before the gate. It wasn't long before Sephiroth stepped into the clearing.

"It has been some time, partner." Alucard scoffed. "Partner? You got balls, that's for sure. You haven't been my partner since you abandoned us, Sephiroth. You crossed a line when you murdered Edge and his family, when you killed Scorpi. One day, Sephiroth, I will make you atone for your crimes. As it so happens, I'm in no condition right now." Sephiroth said nothing for a while, the two just stood there in silence. Finally, Sephiroth turned to walk away. "Fine. I will be waiting, old friend." Sephiroth vanished back into the shadows cast by the trees. Alucard let out a sorrowful sigh and slammed his fist into the gateway controls. As the emptiness gave way back to steel, Alucard paused. "I'm sorry, Sephiroth." He vanished into the void just before it closed, never to be opened again.

xXxXxXx

Alucard stumbled out of the collapsing gate into a cool, well-lit room. He wished it were darker. Nekane near knocked him over as she threw herself into him, wrapping her arms around him and pulling him tight. "Oh, Alucard! We thought you were a goner for sure! To think, you save our lives and then die before we can thank you! It was unbearable!" She was crying into his shoulder. He blushed, while Anya was in hysterics. "You know, Nekane, you were the only one thinking he'd be killed." She turned to Alucard. "Aren't you going to say anything?" He was turning purple now. "Ne...kan...e!...Can't...breathe!" She gasped and released him. She apologized as he fell to his knees gasping for breath.

Asuna looked puzzled. "Why _are _you alive, Alucard? Shouldn't Sephiroth have killed you?" Alucard shook his head. "No, Asuna-san. Sephiroth can't hurt me, and I can't hurt him. We've been through too much together. We may as well have been brothers. Back in the day, Sephiroth and I were partners and best friends. Whenever one of us was given an assignment, the other would volunteer to go as backup. We were inseparable. He was the only family I had, and I was his. That's why I couldn't kill him when he left." Konoka hugged him, then wiped a tear from her eye. "That's so sad. There wasn't anything you could do?" He hung his head so that his faced was shrouded by shadows. "No...Nothing..."

Evangeline grabbed him and slammed him into the wall. "That's all fine and dandy. I have questions that I want answered. Now." She glared him in the eye. "Go ahead, Eva." Her eyes burned furiously with rage. "How the hell could you not have told me who your father was back then? You were almost always around! Why didn't you tell me earlier that you palled around with Thousand Master, dammit!"

Alucard gently brushed her hands off of him. "There are several things you don't know about me, Eva. Many more that you never will. For the record, your 'almost always' for your world was about a five year difference here. I hadn't met Nagi yet the last time we met." Evangeline groaned. "You don't expect me to believe that bullshit, do you? Whatever. Where's Chachamaru?" She was obviously annoyed at him. "Chachamaru is here already, Eva. She'll be returned to you by nightfall. Have you not noticed what I've done for you, Eva? You should be more grateful to me."

"What do you mean?"

It took a while, but everyone (except Evangeline) caught on. Nodoka could help but yell out. "Wow! Eva! Congratulations!" She still didn't get it. "What the hell are you all gawking at?" Alucard chuckled. "You never change, Eva. Here." He snapped his fingers, and shadows began to leap from the wall and spiraled together. With another snap, they became reflective. "Look for yourself." She cast her gaze upon the mirror, and couldn't find words to describe what she saw. She was the exact same. "You asshole! That's not fucking funny!" She wrapped her hands around his throat, and almost strangled him, when it hit her.

"I'm...free...I'm free...I'M FREE! THANK YOU!" She wrapped her arms around him (as Nekane did) and hugged him so tightly that she cut off his air (as Nekane did). This time he passed out.

xXxXxXx

The cold, white wall of the infirmary were definitely an eyesore to wake upon. The first few seconds of consciousness (before everything came back) were a bliss. There was no war, he had no duty to life. He was just himself. Life couldn't be better. Then it all rushed back. He could only say one thing: "Damn."

His body ached all over, he couldn't even feel his legs. Only the pain. He moved to prop himself up more and found himself strapped down. "What the hell's going on here? Release me!" Ignoring the pain, he tensed his body up to snap his restraints when a soothing hand was placed on his chest. "Calm down. You have several broken and fractured bones, numerous strained ligaments and tendons, and one or two ruptured organs with a collapsed lung. You won't be breaking free anytime soon. Miss Konoe came in earlier to attempt to heal you, but she lacked the skill. She has remarkable potential, though. If you wait a few minutes, Doctor Rose will be with you." The nurse turned to walk away, but hesitated. "You're damn lucky to be alive, sir." The door closed with a quiet snap.

He took a deep breath of recycled air. His bodily fatigue ran into him like a bullet train and propelled him back into slumber.

xXxXxXx

The lair of the Rukavi was a dark, dirty, dingy place. The throne room sat deep within the Sarovian mountainside. The great double doors swung open wide, protesting the motion, and slammed shut behind the visitor. He kneeled down before the empty throne. "How fared your mission, Sephiroth?" he voice emanated from the air itself. Shadows move and contorted until a figure with white eyes appeared.

"I failed, my lord. The target awoke before it could be retrieved." The figure stroked its chin. "I see. I need him, Sephiroth. It's not like you to give up like that. I need to fight him. Whoever ends up dead will fuel our final assault. The energy of the slain will summon our weapon." There was a pause. "I understand now. Even though he was wounded, you let him escape. Your emotions hamper your actions, Sephiroth. I relieve you of this task." Sephiroth stood. "But, sire!" It raised a hand, and Sephiroth fell silent. "Enough, Sephiroth. You may leave."

Sephiroth bowed. "Yes sir." The doors slammed shut once again. "Fate." A puddle of water spread across the floor, and a young male rose forth and bowed. "You summoned me milord?" "Yes. I need you to retrieve something for me. Until we have this object, I cannot be whole again. Can I trust you?" Fate rose. "Of course, sire. What is it you seek?" The figure moved its finger and a folder appeared before the youth. He grabbed it. "Inside is all the information you will need. Negi Springfield may be traveling with him, so you may take your revenge if you so desire. Do with him what you will, just bring me the target alive." Fate bowed once more. "As you command, sire." Tendrils of water slithered forth from the puddle, wrapped themselves around Fate, and withdrew him hence. "Sephiroth...Can I still trust you?" The shadows sitting in the throne were scattered into the air, along with maniacal laughter.

xXxXxXx

Upon awakening once again, nothing filled his gaze. He lay upon his own bed in the dark, alone. Or so he thought. Only after singing his legs off his bed did he realize that someone slept half on the bed, half on a chair. He rose from his bunk and walked to the balcony overlooking the subterranean base, leaving the shadows of his quarters behind him. The artificial light had been dimmed, submerging all it its false night. The tasteless recycled air was a relief. Everything was so peaceful.

A gentle hand fell softly upon his shoulder. "Shouldn't you be asleep? You had a pretty nasty fall earlier." He took a deep breath and wished for a breeze. "I'm a vampire, Miss Springfield. Night is my day. You, on the other hand, really _should_ be sleeping. You've been awake for quite some time."

She pulled herself close to him and laid her head on his shoulder. His heart leaped into his throat. "How do you know I won't take offense to this, Miss Springfield?" She giggled. "Call me Nekane. You're not very good at hiding things like this. I know you don't mind. Besides, I felt your heartbeat skip once or twice. It's obvious how you feel for me, Alucard." She took a deep breath if air. "I don't know what it is about you, Alucard. I feel completely safe when your around, like I know you'll protect me until you die. I wonder why that is." Alucard said nothing. "Why are you always distancing yourself from us? You haven't even tried to be our friend, even though we all want to help you. I want to _be_ with you. You're right here, but you act miles away!" Tears rolled down her cheeks. "When you got out of the infirmary, you just pushed us away and ran off! Please, just let me in! I want to help you!"

Another minute passed before he said anything. "I was engaged to be married once before. Long ago, around 1800. Her name was Maria Renard. She was the first person I had loved since my mother was crucified for marrying my father. That was three hundred years earlier. The Rukavi found out about Maria. Keep in mind, this was before I joined the Genesai. They tracked us down, ambushed me, and forced me to watch as they killed her and desecrated her body. Damned necrophiliacs. The Rukavi are sick and twisted; they'll do anything to get what they want. Namely me. They desire my power so that they may summon their superweapon: Pandæmonium, castle of the lord of Hell. it was at Maria's funeral when Director Johnson approached me. I was full of sorrow, hatred, and rage. When he offered me a chance to get back at the bastards that murdered my fiancée, no less. The same bastards who killed Maria. It was too much."

"So now, I don't get close to anyone anymore. It's only ever led me to heartache and pain." A single tear dripped off his nose and off the balcony. "Knowing that I couldn't...no...didn't do anything to stop them. That alone has cast me into my own private hell. But I can't die yet; my rage has not been sated. Not until every Rukavi soldier is dead and everyone knows what fate will befall them for attempting to revive that cursed organization. I can't let what happened to me happen to anyone else ever again."

Nekane was shocked and almost beyond words. "Oh my God! I never knew anything so bad could happen to anyone so good! Oh, God! I'm so sorry! Please! Let me in! I can help you! No one should ever have to bear such pain on their own!" He paused, then stepped back and removed his cloak. With a grunt of pain, two magnificent, leathery black wings sprouted forth from his back. "Climb on and hold tight. The night is still young and there's something I want you to see." She hesitated and climbed onto his back, wrapping her arms around his neck. Shadows bound the two tightly together. "Here we go." He fell forward off the balcony.

The ground rushed towards them. Just as death seemed imminent, Alucard spread his wings and caught an updraft from a smokestack. He pointed towards the ceiling. "See that hole in the rocks, there? That's where we're going." Nekane shut her eyes and they were submerged in the subterranean darkness. Alucard dodged left and right, avoiding outcroppings. What seemed like weeks passed before they broke the surface. The duo soared high into the air before he landed among the upper limbs of a barren tree.

The size of this tree was overwhelming. The branch alone could support a house. The only thing the two need worry about was the tree falling over. Alucard's wings dissolved into the night air. "Wow! That was amazing! I never knew you had wings!" He smiled gently. "It comes with the vampirism. They're there when I want them, and gone when I don't. Every now and then I find it relaxing to go for a midnight flight through the crisp night. This tree means much to me. Maria planted it shortly after we became engaged. It's all I have to keep her spirit alive."

Nekane was puzzled. "What do you mean?" He pointed over at the trunk of the tree. A shimmering figure stood there, translucently pale. She was a beauty without a doubt. She nodded at Alucard and faded out of existence. "This tree meant much to her, so her spirit live on inside it. Every now and then, I come to visit. She tells me things. She tells me now to move on." He looked back to where the figure had stood with a look of sorrow. Nekane reached up and placed both hands on his face. She pulled him own to where she sat, and he willingly complied. They kissed.

The night is still young, indeed.


	5. Truth

**CHAPTER 5**

Negi Springfield, age 10, wandered the darkened corridors of the Genesai militant barracks. His laborious search for his vampiric savior bore no fruit, as he did not reside in his room. Negi had questions and wanted answers. Were this damned building not so convoluted, he would not be lost within. The guest quarters weren't far away, perhaps one of his students knew Alucard's location? Lost in thought, the young wizard near walked into the doors he currently sought. He placed a hand upon the handle and paused. Was he being watched? He looked back and, seeing nothing, proceeded through the doors. Water dripped from the ceiling.

The outside was frigid, being underground, and the light was just enough to see. He looked to the roof above, and thought he saw something bat-like disappear into the rocks. "Must've imagined it," he muttered to himself and walked on.

The guest quarters were much fancier, cozier, and better-kept than the barracks. This caused many arguments. Negi walked in the front doors and was once again awe-struck by the beauty of the structure. His room was also here, true. But the architecture was just too grand not to be admired. The girls were housed only on the 5th floor, but it seemed much more. He looked down all four hallways before remembering where Asuna and Ayaka's room was. He knocked on the door, hesitating, and called out. "Asuna-san? Are you there?" After several seconds, he tried again. "Asuna-san?" Nothing.

He decided to ask Nodoka if she could find Alucard based upon his thoughts. Negi turned to walk further down the hall when he heard a scream from Konoka's room. "Konoka-san!" He ran down the hall, ripping his staff from his back, and busted the door in. What he saw turned him inhumanly red. Konoka and Setsuna lay upon the bed, Setsuna's head between Konoka's legs with fluid gushing all over it. She withdrew at once. "Oh, God! Negi-sensei!" He slammed the door shut, took off back down the hall, and jumped out an open window. He fell several stories before taking off into the night air.

On the nearby rock face he saw a cave. Maybe he should spend the night there. He flew over and, after making sure it was safe, made camp as cozily (and as far-in) as he could. He fell into a uneasy sleep, plagued by the same scene over, and over, and over.

xXxXxXx

"Damn!" He slammed his fist into the door. "Sending Fate after them is a death warrant!" His only friend being brought here, to die. Something must be done, but what? "Damn..." Sephiroth, the Nightmare, stood alone, in silence, in his room. What could he do? "I suppose...if I really had to...I could execute the plan early?" He sighed. "I guess I have no other recourse. I have lost their trust, anyways." He picked up Masamune and walked towards the throne room, leaving a trail of death in his wake.

The large double doors, emblazoned with a phoenix, could not stand against his blade. It fell to the floor in pieces. A voice resonated. "So, Sephiroth. You return now to the Genesai? A shame. You were our finest warrior, and now you must die." Sephiroth kept walking "Show yourself! We shall see who dies today!" He stopped at the base of the throne. "I'll take your head as a souvenir!" The shadows swirled, and the Rukavi warlord appeared. "You are most certainly welcome to try, Sephiroth. However; only your friend is capable of truly killing me." In his hand, he carried the cursed sword: Soul Edge.

"The cursed sword! Impossible! It was destroyed by the holy knight Siegfried millennia ago!" It laughed. "Yes, it was. But through my power, I was able to resurrect it. Let's see how your demon blade compares. Shall we?" Sephiroth raised his sword. "Who are you?"

"I am one with Alucard." The dance of death began.

xXxXxXx

Nekane climbed off Alucard's back through the window of her room. "I had a wonderful evening, Alucard. I never knew this world could be so beautiful." He remained outside the window. "It's not as beautiful as you, Nekane." She clasped his hands in hers. "Now, please. Return to your quarters. I don't want Negi finding out about us just yet. He doesn't have complete trust in you." He nodded. "It's to be expected. Please , get ready. We all go to see the Director today. You can then choose to join us, or to go live peacefully among the rest of society." He bowed his head and, with a beat of his wings, soared off.

The morning itself was particularly chilly. Ice gathered on Alucard's wings, and he fell onto his balcony. He lay on the cold concrete. It felt as if electricity coursed through his head. Images flashed before him. Sephiroth, a sword, and blood. Reality faded away. He screamed, but it seemed so distant. He felt rage, hatred, and a lust for vengeance. One word was spoken to him: "Succumb".

"Alucard!" The voice was distant, fading. "Succumb!" Again. There was everything, yet nothing. Alucard floated in the midst of infinity. A black snake with red eyes coiled up around him and spoke in his ear. "Give in to the darkness, my son. Use its power, and everything could be yours. You could succeed where I have failed." Another snake, this one with one eye red and one eye white. "You have found love, yes? It has been so long. Now comes a difficult choice: Do you abandon your promise to Maria, or do you abandon Nekane? You know very well that you can't have both. Nekane would leave you after the genocide needed to fulfill your promise." The snake split into two. One with white eyes, and a second with red. The second red-eyed snake joined the first around Alucard and spoke in his other ear. "Sephiroth needs your aid. Go. There you can slaughter those who took away Maria. There, you can have your revenge. Risking the Nexus is well worth it, wouldn't you say?"

The third snake, with eyes of white, coiled itself before him and looked him in the eye. "The boons of accepting the darkness would indeed be great; however, could you release the seal in good conscience? Turn your back on all your friends? On Nekane? All for the sake of revenge? Think clearly for just a minute, I ask you. What will you do once you get your vengeance? What comes next?" Alucard looked away. "No longer am I one of you. It doesn't matter whether or not I turn my back, or what comes next. You know as well as I, that for me...there will be no 'next'. There is but one solution, one way to end this nightmare." The snake said nothing, only nodded, and vanished. The two snakes that circled him also vanished, and the world rushed back.

Air rushed into his lungs as he gasped for air. He sat up, coughing. Nekane rushed to his side and wrapped him in a tight embrace. "Oh, thank God your alright!" Someone else spoke. "You gave us all qui'e a scare there, Alucard." Alucard didn't even look up. "It's good to see you. When did you get back, Nagi? Pocket?" A buff man with short blond hair stood in the corner, with a massive gun across his back. " I got back not that long ago. 'Bout a minute before your shrieking blew out damn near every window in the base." Alucard smirked. "Sorry. I see you still carry that old scrap of metal around." "Hey!" He returned. "Betsy here's seen just as many battles as you. Only difference is, she likes to kill. You don't." Alucard laid back down. "True enough. I assume your mission was a success?"

He shook his head. "Negative. The Gate fell, along with Uzumaki. They sent Uchiha, Alucard. Uchiha and Uzumaki ended up dying at each others hands, and the Gate was destroyed in the fight." Alucard sat back up. "You want to run that by me one more time?" Pocket hung his head. "The Gate was destroyed. Forgive me." Alucard leaped out of bed and fell to one knee with a scream of pain. Evangeline, who stood nearest, aided Nekane in helping Alucard back into bed.

"Don't try to move so much. Your leg is broken, since you fell easily three hundred feet. Be patient. Rosa will be here any minute." Alucard grunted an affirmation and turned to Nagi. "So the south Gate is gone. How fares the north Gate?" Nagi took a deep breath. "It's the only one of the four Gates left in our control. East was destroyed as well, and west was captured. Young miss Hazuki was severely injured in east raid. She now lies in the ICU. Alucard, the Rukavi are getting serious, and launching full-scale assaults on our outposts. I know, there's something you're not telling us." Kazumi stepped forward.

"Hey, just what are these Gate things anyways? How is one being destroyed bad?" Alucard looked at her, then around the room. "Listen closely, all of you. The Gates are four regulators, controlling the flow of energy into the Nexus and vice-versa. Two destroyed means that the energy flow has greatly increased, and with the Rukavi controlling one, they can channel the restricted energy towards their own means, and diminish our power." He turned to Nagi. "We don't have much time. Go visit your son; he's been waiting anxiously to see you..." Setsuna interrupted him. "Negi-sensei isn't here, Alucard-san. Something happened last night, and he fled."

Alucard remained silent as he meditated briefly. "It's fine, Setsuna-san. Nagi, he's in the abandoned weapons cache hidden in the rock face." Nagi nodded and took off out the window. "Pocket. You, Asuna-san and Setsuna-san go and inform the director. The north Gate, and maybe HQ, is about to get hard. Go" "Yes, sir." The three took the door, and bumped into Rosa on the way out. "Alucard Tepes!" August scolded, "How many times do I have to fix you? You just got out of the ICU yesterday! I should start charging you for this!" Alucard was quoting in perfect synchronization with her. "Yeah, yeah. I get it, I'm careless. Hurry it up, please. Something's going to go down up north, we have no time. Who's the rook?" She had short red hair hidden under a red witches' hat. With brown eyes, she was dressed nearly all in red (complete with cape). Her boots and gloves were black leather, and she carried a longsword on her left hip, and a shield on the corresponding arm. She was somewhat short, and fairly attractive. "M' name's Samantha Echizen, called Tai. Ya gotta probbem wid it?" She had a thick accent, but hard to tell exactly where from. "I'm a red mage, wid black _and_ white magic at m' disposal. I specialize 'n channelin' m' magic through this 'ere sword." She drew her sword and held it up to the light. It sparkled like a king's ransom.

"I'm currently training her in white magic, and odds are that she'll be under your tutelage for swordplay when I'm done." A white light engulfed her right hand. "All right, Alucard. Hold still." It was only seconds before he was patched up and August, with Samantha, left. Alucard made to stand up, but was stopped by both Nekane and Konoka, who looked sad. "Please..." Nekane placed a hand on his shoulder and gently pushed him back down. "You need your sleep. The only sleeping you've done in pushing yourself to your limits and passing out."

"O!M!G!" Kazumi burst out, "Like, you two are _totally_ and item, right?" Alucard smiled. "There's definitely something there." They kissed. "Wow. Like, I knew it was only a matter of time, but that was fast." Nodoka nodded in agreement with her lover's statement. "Yeah, I'm happy for you."

"Thanks."

xXxXxXx

"Greetings! Welcome to Genesai outpost theta! What can I do for you?" Director Alexandre Miller, head of the southern Genesai forces, welcomed Pocket, Asuna, and Setsuna quite warmly. "Jonathan! you've returned! Mission successful?" Pocket explained the situation to the director. As each detail unfolded, his jubilant mood diminished very rapidly. "Are you sure of this?" He asked. "I'm only relaying the General's message, sir. I am not a physics major."

"Very well. I'll have security tightened up north and all assault squads moved to standby. All evacuees will be detained here and maybe drafted, depending on what happens." Asuna and Setsuna looked at each other, nodded, and stepped forward. "Sir! We would like to lend our power to your cause, sir!" He gave them a once-over. "What are your skills?" Both drew their sword and gave a quick demonstration. He nodded. "I'll have you both assigned to squads to..."

"Sir!" They interrupted. "We would like to be assigned to General Tepes' squad and aid in the protection of the Mahora refugees, sir!" He mulled in over for a few minutes. "Very well. Gear up, you will also be moved to standby. Dismissed." They bowed and walked out. He turned to the window.

"The phoenix and the dragon. God help us all."

xXxXxXx

"Do you know the prophecy, Sephiroth?" The voice asked. The nightmare, Sephiroth, lay against the wall of the Rukavi throne room, pinned by his own sword. He looked up. "Either kill me or release me. Do not waste my time with idle chitchat." Maniacal laughter filled the air, resonating off the walls and throughout Sephiroth's soul. "You are in no position to make demands, traitor. Besides, I can't have my trump card die early. _The dragon and the phoenix, same in soul and mind, will clash abroad, and the world will rot. The day of requisition will see the end of the war. Fated to die by the others' hand, the two clash once again. When the dragon is slain, the phoenix is reborn._"

"What is that? It sounds like nonsense to me." Sephiroth spat. "'Tis no nonsense, Sephiroth. It is a prophecy that will come very true. Look how the world suffers. It's only a matter of time now, and I make the final push as we speak." Laughter filled the air once again and faded away. Sephiroth reached into his pocket, grabbed a small cylindrical device, and pressed the button on top. Under his breath, he muttered one word. "Checkmate."

xXxXxXx

"So your my squad now, huh? I'd've thought you'd had enough action to last a lifetime. Whatever, I guess." General Alucard Tepes struck out his hand, and shook Asuna's. "Welcome aboard." His hands were ice cold, but burned Asuna's hand anyways. Smoke rose skyward from their hands, and a glow faded from Alucard's palm as he pulled away. Asuna looked at her hand. Burned into it was the vampire's cross. It slowly faded away. "What the hell was that?" She demanded.

That mark indicated that you are my subordinate. Just show it to the security guards. It's an all-access pass, basically." Asuna showed him her palm. "It faded, dumbass! How will they see it?" He showed her his palm in return, and the mark began to glow again. "Simply focus either your magic or chi into your palm. The mark will manifest itself. This way it stays hidden in the event of enemy capture. You can also use that mark to summon the weapon you 'register' with it, if you so desire. It works sort of like your card, only with less abilities." Asuna looked at her palm again. "Wow."

"If you're ever promoted to a commanding officer, like me, that mark will fade and you can create your own. When it glows of its own accord, accompanied by a burning sensation, that is me summoning you. _That_ means come to my location IMMEDIATELY, do you understand? I don't care if you sick and dying, or in bed with Ayaka. You haul ass to my position, prepared for battle. Am I clear?" Asuna snapped to attention. "Sir! Crystal!" He turned to Setsuna. "Did you catch all that?" She nodded and held out her hand. "My turn, sir." One more was marked.

The loudspeakers crackled to life. "General Tepes and Sergeant Rose, please report to the Director's office. You have and emergency assignment.

Alucard was already gone.

xXxXxXx

By the time he reached the Director's office on the other side of the base, Alucard had been paged several times. "General Tepes, reporting for orders, sir." He stood loosely at attention. "At ease, General. We've received word from the top brass, straight from Advisor McDaniel himself, that a distress beacon has been dropped within the Rukavi lair. We had an undercover agent working in their ranks, but his level of skill is too great for him to be revealed; however, we can't say it isn't him..."

"...And we're being sent to investigate, correct?" August prompted, without hesitation. Director Miller nodded. "Affirmative, but this is no ordinary infiltration mission," he turned to Alucard and swallowed. "Which is why we're sending you, Bloodbane." Alucard grunted an affirmation. "Who's the agent, Director?" An uncomfortable silence filled the air while Director Miller fiddled with some papers on his desk. Eventually, August turned to Alucard with half of a response. "Alucard...Please, don't get angry. We left you out of the loop for a very good reason. Please...I beg of you...Don't get mad." Alucard only grew impatient. "Who is the operative." Director Miller drew up to his desk, as if for protection, and took a breath.

"Alucard...The operative is Sephiroth."

Alucard felt his heart stop. "Wh-what? You mean...I...But...?" The Director nodded. "This was a top-secret assignment. We couldn't let you know because you'd try to go with him, and with the Rukavi after you like they are...well...We just couldn't let you go with him." Alucard dropped his head, submerging his face in shadow. "You let me think that my best friend was a traitor...That I could do nothing to save him...You left me in the dark...In my own private hell...For no reason at all...Why...?" His hair began to ripple is the stillness of the office. Alucard slammed his fist into the Director's desk, splintering the legs and shattering the desk itself. "BECAUSE OF YOU, I DAMN NEAR KILLED MY BEST FRIEND!" He turned and stormed out of the office, tearing the door of as he yanked it open. He paused in the doorframe. "I'll deal with you when I return. Don't bother following me."

August looked away as Alucard left in a fit of rage. "Director...I'd recommend getting an assault squad to detain him." Director Miller sadly shook his head "He's too upset and won't think twice about killing them. It'd only be a waste of soldiers." August slumped to the floor, saddened and terrified. "Director...his aura when he left...it was...cold, and...evil."

"What have we unleashed, Rosa? What kind of monstrosity have we unleashed?" She stood and grabbed him by his shirt, pulling him close. "I told you we should let him know, but you said 'this is for the better.' Does this look better to you? He's out for your head now! Who knows what he's going off to do now!" He put his hand to her mouth, halting her lecture. "He's going to correct our wrong. To eliminate the Rukavi and save his friend. I would gladly die by his hands afterward to be the one who starts our final push. If my life is the final price to pay...so be it."

Rosa let him go. "_The phoenix and the dragon_... Time's running out, isn't it?" Silence and dread hung in the air. "He's gone. Private Kagurazaka and Private Sakurazaki with him. My Lord in heaven...please...Protect us all." Red lights began to flash and an alarm rang shrilly throughout the base. "Intruder!" Director Miller raced to his computer (now sitting on the floor) and rapidly tapped in several passwords. "Oh, GOD!" August flinched as he took her Lord's name in vain, but ran over anyways. "Who is it?"

"It's Fate."


	6. The Broken Seal

**CHAPTER 6**

"Alucard! Where are you going?" Nekane struggled to keep pace with him as he swiftly wove from corridor to corridor, moving towards the warp gate. "I'm going to end this, once and for all, Nekane. Stay here, I won't be long." A hateful hissing sound accompanied the appearance of razor-sharp fangs on his mouth. His eyes glowed red, as did the mark on his hand. "Get everyone ready to fight. I guarantee there'll be an attack not long after I leave."

Asuna and Setsuna came running up the hall, dressed for war. Asuna wore her usual garb, and Setsuna had donned basic chainmail with light clothing outerwear. They snapped to attention. "Sir! You called?" He nodded. "We're going on assignment. And cut the 'Sir' shit. I'm not in the mood." Nekane placed an arm on his shoulder. "Please...Don't..." He shrugged her off. "I'm sorry." She watched as the three disappeared into the warp gate, leaving behind everything they held dear.

"Nekane! Where's Alucard?" Nagi yelled. "The Director's ordered everyone to detain him AT ALL COSTS!" Nekane slowly shook her head. "He's already gone, Father. Why? What's on the other side?" Nagi's face paled. "That's the gateway to the Sarovian Mountains." She didn't get it. "That's where the Rukavi lair is located! He'll die, along with anyone accompanying him!" A siren tore throughout the base, accompanied by a flashing red light. Nagi whipped around.

"Intruder?" That's impossible! Water coiled up from the floor and tightly bound Nagi, covering his mouth so no spells could be cast. "It's been a while, son of Thousand Master." More tendrils of water bound Nekane as Fate Averruncus stepped out of the shadows behind them. He snapped his fingers and both Nekane and Nagi were pulled through the puddles that now lay on the floor. Negi drew up his arms, ready to fight. "What do you want?"

"I was sent her to capture the half-breed daywalker, but I needed some bait first. As luck would have it, he's headed to our base of his own free will. I have no business with you as of now, but we will meet again. Au revoir." He, himself, sank into a puddle on the floor and disappeared. "Damn!" Negi swore as he stood alone in the now abandoned hallway. "What do I do from here? Father, Nekane, Alucard, Asuna-san, and Setsuna-san are all in trouble. Do I go and help, or do I stay here, in case more come?"

"It's your choice, Bōya." Evangeline walked up behind him, Chachamaru at her side as always. "If you go, I'd recommend you find dog-boy first." He looked at her. "I thought you'd've left by now, to enjoy his freedom. Why'd you come back?" She looked down. "I...I don't know. To be with your father, I guess. Perhaps...I also thought that maybe we could be a somewhat normal family. But...I guess that wouldn't work, with only your father not having vampire blood."

"Wait...so I'm...part vampire?" Negi asked. "Don't be stupid! Of course! I'm your mother, so why wouldn't you?" She bluntly replied. This time he looked down. "So...um...Mom...?" She glared at him. "Don't push it." He nodded. "Right. So...Eva? Where's Kotarô? I'm going." She looked at him. "He's in the next hall over, with Chizuru, looking for you." She sighed. "I guess I'll come too." Negi paused. "What? Why?" She hesitated. "Well...You see...I can't have my only son go and get killed. There. I said it. Besides, I'm gonna have to pull your dad's ass out of the fire." Kotarô came around the corner, bumping into Negi, and causing both of them to fall to the floor.

"Hey! I finally found you! Look, we have to find and stop Alucard." Negi shook his head. "Too late; he's already gone. I'm willing to bet that Asuna-san and Setsuna-san are with him. You, me, Eva, and Chachamaru are going after them." Kotarô was stunned. "Do you have a death wish, man? That's suicide! The Rukavi lair!" Negi explained the situation, and Kotarô sighed frustratedly. "Son of a bitch. Could anything else go wrong?" He looked up. "So Fate's here, huh? Shit. That complicates things." He walked over to the gateway, and turned back. "Stay here, please, Chizuru." He turned to Negi. "Let's go before I change my mind." Four more stepped through the portal.

xXxXxXx

Fate Averruncus bowed before the Rukavi throne. "He comes, sire, of his own volition. Hence, I have captured two of those closest to him, for your advantage." From the ceiling descended tentacles of water, imprisoning Nagi and Nekane, who had fainted. Sephiroth, still pinned to the wall, looked up. He was paler than ever. "N...Nagi...So they...got you...too...?" Nagi nodded, and then decided to sleep it out. Nap time. "Very good, Fate. Very good indeed. Soon, our dream will become a reality." Shadows replaced the tentacles, and pulled the hostages back into the ceiling.

"Sir? What of the traitor? At this rate, he will bleed to death before the half-breed arrives." Silence filled the air. "Let him. I want to enjoy the coming battle." He paused. "Go Fate. Kill anyone who tries to accompany him inside. We don't want any party crashers, now do we?" Fate nodded, and walked away. "Things are starting to get interesting, are they not, traitor? You should feel privileged that I let you live to see your friend die." Slowly, the light drained from the room.

xXxXxXx

The Sarovian mountains were a cold and barren terrain. Very little forestry stood upon the sides, not a bird sang in the air. A desolate landscape, riddled with death and despair. The perfect setting for the final showdown. Somewhere within the only rotting forest, a long-closed inter-spatial gateway kicked to life. Three things emerged: two schoolgirls and a vampire. Alucard Tepes, heir to the vampiric throne, looked around the dead land and cloudless, blood-red sky. He took a deep breath and exhaled. His breath condensed and floated away as he kicked a human skull down the nearby cliff. It echoed ominously as it hit outcroppings on its way down. Asuna and Setsuna shivered in the harsh, biting wind.

"It-It-It's s-s-so c-cold!" Asuna struggled to speak through her chattering teeth. The wind rippled through her red hair. Alucard looked out across the seemingly never-ending expanse of land. "These mountains are a land of death. The sky is stained with their blood, and the air is stained with the cold blood they were slain in. The spirits of the slain reside here as well. They are malevolent spirits, who will never rest in peace until they are avenged. They will not hesitate to deal you to the hands of a fate far worse than death." He paused as the wind picked up, then died down. "I haven't been here since my little bout with Sephiroth...We must be careful. I don't doubt that my rage and hatred gave birth to a vile beast, somewhere in these mountains." He laughed. "I can see why the Rukavi set up base here. Well...Better get a move on." He stepped off the cliff and plummeted out of sight.

"General!" Setsuna yelled, diving off after him and spreading her wings wide. Wind tore through her hair and feathery wind as she raced after him. As she rocketed by, he reached out and grabbed her by the scruff of her neck. He stayed near in place with few beats of his own wings. He lifted her up so they looked each other in the eye. "Forgetting someone?" He cocked back his arm and hurdled her back up with great ease. She flew several feet too far and, after impacting heavily upon the rock surface, tumbled to a stop at Asuna's feet. She crawled to her own unsteady feet, coughing up dust. Asuna bent down to help her. "Hey, are you alright? What just happened?" Setsuna spent several seconds staring blankly at the ground. "I...I'm not sure..." Asuna gently grabbed her by the elbow and helped her to her feet. "What about the General?"

"He's fine. He threw me back up, with orders to get you. I felt his power. It was horrible...tainted with darkness, just...not completely. Asuna...Something bad's gonna go down." Asuna looked at the cliff. "Don't jinx us." She took a deep breath and leapt off the cliff herself. The ground rushed towards her stories at a time. Only seconds before she hit the ground, Asuna pulled out her _Ensis exorcizans_ and plunged it into the rock face, grinding to a halt inches from the canyon floor. She looked back. "Hell, yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about! Hey, you guys coming, or what?"

"Don't get cocky." Asuna jumped at the voice. "Wait! General? But you were just...!" She looked up again to find his silhouette missing and Setsuna gliding down. "Please don't scare me like that, General. I almost had a heart attack." He walked past her, cape rippling in the breeze. "Come. It is not far." The breeze elevated into another gust, and Alucard's cape came undone and flew out of sight.

The trek through the rotting mountains was long and arduous. Several bottomless drop-offs and rockslides impeded their hike; but they arrived at the entrance to the Rukavi's hidden lair, nonetheless. Waiting outside of the large phoenix-emblazoned double doors was Fate, who held a hand up against them and a lantern in the other. "By orders of our master, only the vampire may enter." Asuna stepped forward, sword drawn. "Try to stop me." Alucard placed a single black-gloved hand on her shoulder. "Stand down. It's my fight, anyways." He looked over his shoulder at Setsuna, who nodded. The doors swung wide and Alucard, led by Fate, descended into the ever-hungry abyss. The doors slammed shut seamlessly and a thin, but durable, membrane of water sealed it. Asuna swore.

"Now how're we supposed to get in? Damn!" She kicked the membrane and hopped away, clutching the injured foot in her hands. "Ow, ow, ow..." She looked up at Setsuna's wind-burned face. "Setsuna-san, why're you so calm? We're stuck out here..." Something howled nearby. "With God knows what." Setsuna stepped forward and touched the membrane. "Just wait, Asuna-san. We'll get in soon enough."

"How? This barrier'll only dissipate if Fate drops it or he...oh." Asuna finally caught on. "Exactly. Just be patient." A rock fell off the nearby rock face, landing in front of the door. Both girls looked up and dove back just in time to avoid a pack of monsters. They were quadrupedal with vibrant red skin. They had no eyes and serrated razor sharp teeth, and steel-cutting claws on their feet. They looked hungry.

Setsuna drew her sword. "Asuna-san! Get ready! I've read about these things, but I never expected to see them _here_!" Asuna hefted her sword off of her back with a grunt. "What the hell are they? Damn they're ugly!"

"They're called Fel Hounds, and they're among the most vicious and bloodthirsty of all the Fel species. They spawn in the 8th level of Hell." The pack leader prowled up to the front of the pack. It had a wild white mane. It issued a deep rumbling growl and drooled. The drool hit the ground and began sizzling on contact. "Get ready, Asuna-san!! Here they come!" The leader growled again, then barked. The pack lunged.

xXxXxXx

Footsteps echoed dully off of the dark, dank walls of the underground Rukavi lair. Fate held the lantern in front as he led Alucard down a seemingly endless flight of stairs. Months and years seemed to pass as they spiraled farther and farther down into the darkness. Finally, Alucard spoke. "Where is your base built? Hell?" Fate remained silent as the descent continued. Down. Down. Down.

Eternity seemed to pass before the stairs ended. A vast, dimly lit chamber met Alucard's eyes. It was completely empty, devoid of life, with always branching off in every direction. It's moldy stone walls stank with age. A large rectangular hole lay in the middle of the wall dead ahead, and debris littered the floor before it. The remains of a door? Fate's feet lifted off the floor and he drifted over to the opening. He landed and bowed. Alucard hesitated, then advanced cautiously.

"The master awaits you beyond." Alucard smirked, sending a chill down Fate's spine. "Your services are no longer required." Fate looked up. "What are you...!" He never finished his sentence. Spike lunged forth from the surrounding shadows in the chamber, piercing Fate at every conceivable angle. The lantern fell to the ground, shattering. "Farewell." The blood-stained shadows retracted, slowly melting back into the ground. The blood pooled on the floor as what remained of Fate Averruncus fell to the floor, and Alucard walked on.

xXxXxXx

"Setsuna-san! There're too many of them!" Asuna swung her sword, and two more beasts vanished in black smoke. Two versus two hundred. "Hold on Asuna-san! The membrane's vanishing! Get against the door! Hurry!" he two young women placed their backs against the vanishing water as the beasts closed in around them, drooling. The pack leader lead the rest closer and closer, moving in for the kill. Asuna and Setsuna readied their swords. "Looks like this is it, Setsuna-san. It's been an honor working with you." Setsuna nodded. "Likewise."

The pack leader barked and leaped, raising its claws to strike. Te doors swung open and the two girls fell backwards onto a flight of stairs. The doors slammed shut, severing the attacking monster's leg. Trough the steel, they heard it yelp and cry out in pain. The two climbed to their feet, dusting themselves off. "So...we go down, now?" Asuna asked. Setsuna looked for a while, then nodded. "Alucard's down there somewhere...with the bastard we came here to kill. Let's go." The duo began their descent.

xXxXxXx

"So...Fate is dead. Tragic. He was a fine warrior." Alucard kept walking, and ascended to the throne. The shadows swirled, and it appeared. "Do you know, Alucard, tat you cannot win? You will die here. It is inevitable." Alucard grabbed It by the throat, lifting it into the air. "Shut up. Tell me where he is." It only smiled. "Whomever are you referring to?" Alucard's grip tightened. "You know damn well who!" Alucard spun around, flinging the figure across the room. It slammed into the wall and fell to the floor in a shower of dust. It slowly got to its feet.

"As you wish." It clapped its hands above its head and fires lit, row by row, illuminating the chamber. It pointed. "The one you seek is there." On the wall behind Alucard was Sephiroth, pinned by his own sword. Alucard rushed over and pulled the sword out. Sephiroth slid to the floor, white as a ghost. He looked up, hair in his face. "You...came..." Blood poured from his mouth. Alucard kneeled down next to him, dropping Masamune to the floor and taking his dying friend in his arms. "Sephiroth! Don't worry, I'll patch you up!" Alucard's hand glowed intensely white; but Sephiroth placed a hand on Alucard's, lowering it. "No...It's too...late...After all...I've...done...I don't...deserve...to...live..." He grabbed Masamune and weakly shoved it into Alucard's hand. "It's...yours...now...Use it...better than...I did...Farewell...my friend...my dearest...friend..." Sephiroth shuddered, gasping, and died in the arms of his only friend. The Nightmare was no more.

The figure stood behind him now. "So the Nightmare is gone, and now...it is your turn." It raised Soul Edge and brought it down..

xXxXxXx

Asuna and Setsuna ran down the never-ending staircase. Asuna was getting frustrated. "Do these things ever end?" She asked, out of breath. Setsuna shrugged.

What felt like an explosion rocked the stairs, knocking both girls forward. Asuna sat up, rubbing her head. "What the Hell?" Ow! What was that?" Setsuna's response was a groan of pain, near drowned out by a roar. Setsuna drew her sword, stabbing it into the ground and using it as a shield. Asuna did the same. A hurricane swept through the hall carrying dust, debris, and Fate's remains. The power behind the wind was malicious and hateful. It didn't die down. Setsuna motioned for a cautious advance. Slowly, they proceeded down the hall, fighting the evil.

xXxXxXx

Soul Edge flew across the room, clattering to the moldy wall behind. It slid back, arms raised, resisting the winds emanating from Alucard's unleashed power. "'I'LL..KILL...YOU!" There were more tones in his voice than usual. "I break this ancient seal to end your life!" He was losing control. His blond hair whipped around violently in the maelstrom of power while shadows rose around him, dancing, fighting, vying for control of the unstable energy. Alucard turned. His eyes were vibrant red, veins pulsed in his forehead. He raised the blood-stained Masamune. "DIE!" It leapt back, picking up Soul Edge swinging just in time to block Alucard's strike. He circled around and struck again, and It blocked again. Again and again, strike and block.

"I tire of this game, Alucard. Time to get serious!" As Alucard swung Masamune again, It disappeared into the shadows. Alucard furiously looked around. "SHOW YOURSELF!" A hand grabbed him by the ankle and hefted him into the air. Masamune fell to the floor. It looked him in the eye. "Give up." It slammed him intro the throne, knocking it askew, and him into the wall behind it. It raised him up, then slammed him into the floor. It placed one foot on each wrist, straddled him, then punched him in the face over and over. With each successive blow the gale died bit by bit, until Alucard was barely conscious.

It stood up, looking at Its bloody foe. "Get up." It hissed. it kicked him in the side, tossing him through the door onto the stairs. He propped himself up, coughing blood. "Surrender. You have no chance." It grabbed him by the throat and held him above Its head. "Bow down to me." it dropped him and Alucard limply fell to his knees, hunched over. "Do you see now your foolishness?" Blood dripped from Alucard's mouth, pooling on the ground. "Wh...What are you?" It laughed maniacally. "I am the darkness you forsake so many years ago! I am the evil that flows in your blood. I am the culmination of power! I am everything you could have been. I am your superior in every way. Smarter, faster, stronger. Again: You cannot win." Hold up its hand, Soul Edge glided across the chamber towards him and sinewy tentacles of shadow protruded from the floor, producing Nagi and Nekane. "NO! What are you going to do?" Alucard cried out.

"For your foolishness, you must watch those closest to you die. Starting with these two." With a quick swipe of the demonic sword, he slit Nagi's throat. Alucard could only watch as the shadows dispersed and his friend fell backwards, clutching his blood-spurting throat. Only seconds passed before the writing stopped and the legendary Thousand Master died, drenched in his own blood. "Now, for your precious girlfriend." He drew back the sword and the wind began to blow.

"If...you..._touch...her_..." It paused. "What will you do? I've already proven your powerlessness." It plunged its sword into her should, taunting him, causing her to scream in pain. The wind regained its former intensity. "You would sit there and watch the one you love die again?" Shadows swirled around Alucard, dancing fiercely. His hair was standing straight up in the column of power. "I won't let you!" More tones filled his voice. "I won't let this happen again!" A scream, and Alucard clasped his head in his hands. "NO! Get out! I won't give in! Get out of my head! Get out, GET OUT!" An explosion of energy rocked the hideout and the wind grew more fierce still. "I won't let you take over! Get out, get out, GET OUT!" Tones now filtered in and out of his voice, making him difficult to understand. The walls cracked.

"You talk a big game, Bloodbane, but can you back it up?" It twisted the sword, causing Nekane to scream again. Sound stopped momentarily as sheer power swept through the lair, tearing down walls, destroying the mountain above, and ripping down trees in the surrounding mountain range. Soul Edge shattered. Shadows leapt from the surroundings and joined the dance of those already surrounding the berserking vampire. Wings sprouted from his back. His eyes changed from a hellish red to nothing, black. As dark and as dead as the deepest pits of Hell. No light left those eyes. The shadows began to engulf his body. This terrifying monster let loose a roar of fury that sent fear coursing through Nekane. It didn't flinch. Alucard slammed It into the wall, and his afterimage vanished. "_YOU INSOLENT WRETCH_!" Its voice bordered a growl, and Alucard was nowhere within. "_I__ AM THE HATRED FLOWING THROUGH THIS VAMPIRE_!_I__ AM THE HATRED YOU PLACE IN HIS THREE HUNDRED YEARS PAST_! _I AM THE DARKNESS HE SEALED AWAY LONG BEFORE_! _I__ AM THE CULMINATION OF HIS MIGHT_! _YOU ARE NAUGHT BUT AN IMPOSTER_!" The wall against which the imposter was held began to fracture under the power. "_ANSWER ME NOW! WHAT ARE YOU_!" It chuckled, grabbing the wrist of the monster holding it. "So, half-breed...The man is gone, and only the monster is left. Very well. I am the essence of the Prince of Darkness. The castle summoned by the power you exert is my own, and my domain will spread across this world, claiming it in my name! And when your petty resistance falls, my kingdom will reign supreme throughout all the galaxies. Of course, that excludes the galaxies destroyed by our little game."

"_YOUR DOMAIN WILL SPREAD NOWHERE_,_ FOR YOU WILL DIE HERE_._ YOU MURDER MY FRIENDS_,_ MY FAMILY_,_ YOU TRY TO KILL ME_,_ YOU TRY TO KILL NEKANE_,_ AND YOU KILLED MARIA_._ YOU WILL NOT LIVE TO SEE THE DAWN OF THE NEXT HOUR._" He drew back his fist and punched It in the face, rocketing it through the wall and smashing the remains of the next wall. It fell face-first to the floor, and Alucard grabbed it by the back of the head. He smashed its face into the last wall over and over and over until he cocked back his arm and threw It through. He vanished again and kicked It in the face, sending it back. It landed amongst the remains of the throne chamber. Orange blood splattered the ruins.

Alucard walked over to it, power dying and the shadows slithered off of him back onto the ground. He paused only to pick up Masamune. "So, Alucard. This is how it ends, is it? No...I'm afraid not. We will meet again, in Pandæmonium. My castle. See you there..." Alucard swung Masamune, splitting Its head in half. It screamed, then vanished in a black mist. Alucard fell to his knees, exhausted.

"What the _hell_ was that?"


	7. Pandæmonium

**CHAPTER 7**

The rusty old Sarovian warpgate creaked and groaned in protest as it sputtered to life amidst the dead and decaying mountains. A white void spanned inside the circular door, its surface unmarred by any marking of life. A gentle breeze rustled through the branches of nearby tree branches. The void swirled gently, producing two youths from within. One had short, red hair and wore undersized glasses that constantly needed to be adjusted. The other had wild, untamed black hair and was an avid fighter. The swirling slowed to a cease, blending back to perfection. A wretched sight met their gaze upon their unorthodox arrival. Chunks of slag floated miles in the air, coming to jagged points on either end. The sky was redder than blood, cloudless, and void of life. No birds sang, no crickets chirped. Death had claimed its dominion over the land. Their very first view of the world that they now called "home" seemed better fit to be called "Hell".

The void began to spiral once more, this time producing a vampire (trapped inside of a child's body) and her robotic partner. The frigid north wind tossed her hair silken hair about carelessly. She looked unflinchingly upon the nightmarish landscape with her compassionless eyes. Something was very much amiss. "Grrr...Where did that moron run off to? Damn. We'll never find him here!" Her words echoed harshly off of the rocks, sounding much louder in resonation than they actually were. A low rumble followed, accompanied by many pebbles falling off of the nearby cliff. "Mistress... I recommend that you take care as you speak. Analysis indicates that this terrain is highly unstable and is prone to landslides and possible collapse." Several tiny clicks and whirrs lay hidden beneath her voice. Evangeline brushed her away. "I'm very well aware, Chachamaru. There's no need to state the obvious." She turned to Negi. "You're the best at making blind guesses. Which way?"

He hopelessly looked around, searching for some sign, a broken twig, signs of a battle, but found nothing. "I...don't know. There's no way to tell. He could have gone into the woods, or climbed down the cliffside...I just can't tell...wait...I've got an idea. Hold on." He straddled his staff and took off into the sky, where he remained for several minutes, spinning slowly, before he came back down. He hung his head, and Kotarô sighed. "Man, you're a useless tracker. Would either you happen to have something of his that I could borrow, by chance?" Nobody said anything as the wind gently tossed Eva's hair around. "Damn." The wind blew a black cloak with red lining up over the cliff, hitting Kotarô in the face.

"What the...?" Negi pulled it of and scrutinized it closely. "You're in luck, Kotarô. It's Alucard's." Kotarô took it. "There's no way in Hell. Do you no what the odds are?" "Well, what are the odds that there'll be a cloak exactly like Alucard's just fluttering around in the middle of a decaying mountain range?" Evangeline interrupted. Kotarô sighed again. "Good point." Kotarô raised his hand slightly, and a dog materialized from the shadows before him. He squatted down next to the dog and held out the cloak for it to sniff. "Okay, boy. Go find him." The dog took off running, pausing periodically to make sure that they were following, which they were.

The dog was fast. Of that there is no doubt. However; it was not as fast as its pursuers, who caught up to it easily. Peaks flew past in a blur as the quintet raced from mountain to mountain searching for their friends. They finally stopped to rest after the dog lost the scent. "How far could they have gone? They didn't get that much of a head start! Ten minutes, tops!" As the last words echoed away, another earthquake rocked the ground, hurling Kotarô to the ground. Several seconds passed, but the shaking didn't cease. In fact, it grew stronger. A booming "CRACK!" reverberated off of the rocks as a fissure split the ground wide open. Negi grabbed Kotarô, throwing him on the back of his staff as he took off into the air, yelling "MOVE!" As he raced through the sky, he noticed that Eva and Chachamaru had already taken flight. Peak after peak raced by as the fissure seemed to follow their every move. , eventually forcing them upwards by shattering a mountain in front of them, littering the air with debris and spitting fire from within. Flames licked the back of Negi's staff as he rocketed skyward, dodging rocks left and right. The gauntlet of falling rocks eventually thinned out and dissipated. Negi, Evangeline, and Chachamaru stopped to look. A magic circle was burned into the rocks below, and continued to glow brightly. The luminosity continued to grow brighter and brighter, until they couldn't look at it anymore. It suddenly hit them.

"Get...!" Negi shouted before noticing that Eva and Chachamaru had already left. He took off in hot pursuit, cursing under his breath. Miles passed in seconds and the troupe landed a safe distance away as a pillar of light burst forth from the circle, disintegrating everything above it. The pillar narrowed to a beam, focusing its energy, eventually dispersing into nothing. Seconds passed before realization hit. "Oh, Hell." Evangeline sighed. Mountains exploded in a pulse of energy that ripped through everything it hit, rippling outwards, away from the epicenter. Just before it hit the youths, Chachamaru grabbed Evangeline and turned her back to the blast, absorbing it. "_Deflexio_!" Negi yelled, raising a wall of wind to protect himself. Kotarô crossed his arms in front of him and braced for the hit. The blast blew everybody except Chachamaru to the ground.

As the shockwave faded off into the distance, Negi propped himself up on his arms. He coughed violently, releasing inhaled dirt. His ears rang annoyingly loud. "I think...we found him." He chocked out the sentence between coughs. Kotarô flinched as he sat up. "Damn. I think I broke something." He slowly crawled to his feet, wincing at the pain. "The show off just painted a damn bull's-eye on his back. Hey, Negi. Would you mind doing me a favor?" He held out his arms, horribly torn and bloodied. Obviously broken, at the very least. Negi began to heal Kotarô's injuries as Evangeline looked out towards the site.

"No." She said. "That was not his energy. This was putrid. Evil. It has_ me _shivering in fear. Whatever it is...it can't be good for us." Chachamaru stepped forward and placed a hand on Eva's shoulder. "Mistress. Signature aural waves indicate that Master Alucard is indeed the cause. The intensity of this blast as compared to recorded out indicates a rapid increase in magical or spiritual power. Probable causes are anger or sorrow. Possibility of miscalculation is under .01%." Her voice was off and she stuttered often. Something was wrong. Chachamaru-san," Negi asked. "Are you alright?" Sparks flared violently from her back.

"Aff-f-f-f-irmative, sensei." She was lying. "Run a diagnostics check." She nodded and fell silent, except for the whirring of her CPU, and the subsequent comedic ding. "Self-diagnostics reports critical damage to rear plating and circuitry. I am currently operating at 15% efficiency. Repair is necessary. It seems that I have taken more damage that previously assessed." She sparked again, this time her body jerked violently. "I must return to base. Please...take care of Mistress for me."

Several panels popped open, some taking longer than others, and Chachamaru shakily flew off towards the gate in a blast of fire. "Well...I guess we go to the crater, then, huh Negi?" Kotarô asked. He nodded slowly. "We have no choice." He straddled his staff and motioned for Kotarô to climb on. Together with Evangeline, they flew off towards Alucard, and whatever else was with him.

They cautiously landed several yards away from the hole and approached on foot. The gazed down upon a bloody scene. Alucard, engulfed in the shadows he controlled, violently threw his opponent through a wall, disappeared, and returned him with a viscous kick. Alucard slowly approached his opponent, grabbed his sword, and split its head in half. Asuna and Setsuna knelt next to an injured Nekane, Setsuna rapidly applying first aid to the stab wound, and a slain Thousand Master. The shadows that encased Alucard's body slithered back to the ground and disappeared in the daylight. He slumped to his knees.

"What the _hell _was that!?" Kotarô exclaimed before he could stop himself, causing Evangeline to hit him. "Eva...Negi-kun...Kotarô-kun...you're...here..." His voice trailed off as he fell forward, unconscious. Dust kicked up around him, settling gently back to the ground around him. Asuna strolled over to him and picked him up carelessly and looked up at Negi. "Well? Are you three going to help us out of here, or do we have to climb?"

"Well..."

"JUST GET YOUR ASSES DOWN HERE AND HELP!" They leaped. "Hey. Would anyone mind telling me what happened? That power, that viciousness, that _evil_. It's nothing like what we've come to expect of Alucard." Asuna paused. "Well...I don't know much, but I'll tell you what I know." She tenderly set Alucard back on the ground and filled them in on what she knew. "...So when Setsuna-san and I got here, Alucard and that..._thing_...had already disappeared back into the main chamber and Nagi was already dead. Then you showed up and it was over." Kotarô glanced at Negi's watch. "That story was thirty seconds long. What the hell, Red? I know you don't know a lot, but I'm sure your limited intellectual capacity could spice that up. Just when I thought you couldn't get any lamer." Asuna snapped and Negi had never seen Kotarô move so fast up a solid rock wall.

"Get back here, you damn stray!" Asuna yelled after him. After he refused to comply, she looked around and, finding a nice sized stone near her feet, threw rocks at him. Negi heard him let loose in a stream of swears as the rock hit the side of his face, leaving a good-sized gash. "OW! What the fuck!? You psychotic bitch! Leave me alone!" This time, Asuna let loose a hail of stones. Kotarô was up and over the edge before the first stone hit, and wasn't seen again until HQ.

Asuna stormed back to the group and chucked her last stone at a wall, which crumbled. "I'll kill him later. Right now, we have to worry about getting out of here with _him_." She nodded towards Alucard, still unconscious. "In full gear I can barely lift him, let alone climb that wall. And the stairs were blown to Hell in that explosion. I wouldn't even attempt it. Any ideas?" She could almost hear the crickets chirp.

Setsuna took a deep breath and let it out in a sigh. "I'll call for evac. Wait here, and set up camp. I'll be back." Her clothes were in tatters, torn apart by the shockwave. Even Asuna's armor was blemished. Setsuna took off into the sky and rocketed off towards the warpgate. The rest of the group got busy building a shelter out of the ruins of the Rukavi fortress, tossing stones and bonding them together magically. Evangeline was the only one who didn't help. She sat in a shadowy corner, head in her knees, heartbroken. Nobody bothered her.

Night had nearly fallen before Setsuna returned, although there was little difference between night and day in that barren wasteland. Dust floated in the air around her as she landed tenderly on her feet, wings spread wide. "Evac is en route. They'll be here by morning, so we should start a fire and get some sleep."

The restless night had shortly fallen, bright and clear as day. In shifts, they stood guard, changing every three hours. By the end of the second shift, a storm had brewed like a lion. Winds ripped through the mountains, kicking and throwing dust and dirt while lightning ripped through the sky. Thunder boomed loudly, amplified to tremendous volumes by the acoustics of the mountains. It was a very ominous sign.

Over the roaring thunder and the howling wind, Negi's voice could barely be heard as he called out to them. Everybody! Come quick! Som...!" Another explosion of thunder drowned out the rest of Negi's sentence. Asuna and Setsuna ran out of the hut into the pouring rain. Whatever was happening even snapped Eva out of her depression, as she was with Negi. "Look!" He pointed out over the remains of the throne chamber, past the shattered mountainside, out into the distance where a pentagram burned furiously in the sky, searing into the clouds. The next roar of thunder literally rocked the earth, only the quaking refused to cease. The pentagram began to lower itself to the ground, burning a trail behind it. Over the roar of the furious earth could be heard several loud cracking sounds as cracks leapt from mountain to mountain, opening wide unto the Void. Empty. Black. Abysmal. In the distance, where the pentagram had made contact, emerged a shape. It rose from the depths with a speed that could only be described as dramatically slow. The structure was Pandæmonium: the Castle of the Lord of Hell.

_This is the way the world ends_


	8. Affliction

**CHAPTER 8**

Silhouettes of things inhuman spread forth from Pandæmonium, some to the sky and some on the ground. Demons, once bound in a realm beyond that of human reach, now ran rampant across the planet. Asuna stared out at the shadows moving swiftly towards them. "What the…" she trailed off, and nobody bothered to finish her sentence. This was not the time for words, the end was nigh. Pandæmonium appeared to emit its own light, glowing ominously against the harvest moon and through the pouring rain.

"It's…Pandæmonium…The castle of…Hell…" The weak voice emanated from behind them. Alucard stumbled out of the hut, struggling to remain conscious while clutching his side tightly in pain. In his free hand he held Masamune. Just in case. "We don't have much…time…We must…retreat…for now…Asuna, Setsuna…Get Nekane…She's conscious, but not…in any condition to…walk…" Nobody moved, but only stared at him. "What, am I speaking French here? GET YOUR ASSES IN GEAR!" They hauled. Setsuna ran up to Alucard, snapping to attention before him.

"Sir! Are you sure that you're in fighting condition?" She asked quickly and formally. He hesitated slightly before nodding and she reluctantly went to help Asuna carry Nekane. Thunder roared, following an illuminating flash that revealed the oncoming horde. "Damn! We're out of time!" Negi yelled over the storm. He drew back his arm. "You guy's go! I'll buy some time!" He closed his eyes, and concentrated all of his power into his palm. "_Rastel Maskil Magister_…_Septendecim spiritus lucis, coentes sagitent inimicum_…" He thrust his open palm before him, magic swirling about him. "_Sagitta Magica, series lucis_!" The magic around him lashed out in several streams, arcing around him as it rocketed towards its target with deadly aim. Each arrow impacted in an explosion of light, which grew to such a luminous intensity that it momentarily robbed Negi of his sight. As vision bled back into his eyes. Not one demon had a single scratch.

Evangeline pushed him aside. "Out of my way, Bōya. Let me show you how it's done." She raised her hand to the sky above, and darkness began to swirl around beneath the clouds. "_Lic lac la lac lilac! Veniant spiritus glaciales obscurants, cum obscurationi flet tempestas nivalis_!_ Nivis tempestas obscurans_!" The shadows before her lashed out in an enormous blast. The beam exploded upon contact, obscuring everything in a dark embrace and chilling everything within to the bone.

Within the spell, there was nothing but silence until a menacing laughter resounded. An ear-piercing wretch that sounded like a choking cat. The blackness dissolved back into the storm, as if a powerful light had punctured its heart. The demons swarmed in around Eva and Negi, blocking them from sight.

"Damn you! Get away from them!" Alucard yelled. "Don't move," One growled. The swarm parted, revealing Negi and Evangeline bound by more monsters. Their captors, easily ten feet tall, were not a pretty sight. They had many eyes, and at least one horn. Their scaly yellow skin was dotted with spikes of all sizes. Every one of them was physically different. The one that had spoken to him was the one binding Evangeline. Alucard realized this when it spoke again. "Drop your weapon…" It sounded like a talking snake. "…or they die." It had many arms, one binding Eva's wrists while another bound her mouth, preventing any further incantations. When he didn't move, it spoke again. "You assume that I jest, fleshling?" It formed a spade with one of its clawed hands and raised it to her throat. "I will warn you no more. You have ten of your seconds to…" Its sentence was cut short as its head exploded in a spray of orange blood, bathing Eva in orange gore. A gunshot echoed over the sounds of the storm. Several more shots echoed, one after the other, felling a demon with each shot. Negi and Eva fell to the ground, gasping for air.

Gradually, as if resisted by some malevolent force, the roar of an engine pierced the screaming maelstrom. Before anything could register in Alucard's mind, a large Delta-class dropship swung around them, sliding to a halt with its pointed nose facing west and placing a wall between the demons and the refugees. A door tucked away near the wing joint slid to the side, and a man dressed in full combat gear yelled out to them. "Hurry!" Alucard turned.

"Asuna, Setsuna. Get the wounded on that ship now!" Alucard grabbed Negi and Eva, throwing them onto the ship after Asuna, Nekane, and Setsuna. He began to climb in himself, but tripped and began to cough up blood. "Damn…Still injured." He muttered as he picked himself up and shut the door. The unknown soldier banged on the cockpit door. "Hit it," he said. He had a north German accent. The sleek, vaguely missile-shaped dropship gave a mighty jerk as it began to rise, mounted chaingun spitting out streams of armor-piercing death. The internal com link crackled to life. "Hold on. We're in for some chop!"

The German soldier shouldered him gun (a high-powered sniper's rifle), and slid the door open once more. He quickly took aim and squeezed off three quick shots, killing some of the winged demons that were swiftly approaching, reloaded and fired off the entire clip. As he reloaded a second time, he punched the com link. "All clear. Let's get the hell out of Dodge." The door slid closed as the ship sped off and disappeared over the horizon, leaving he nightmare behind.

xXxXxXx

Asuna fell back into one of the seats, let out an enormous sigh of relief, and began to remove part of her armor. The enormous golden gauntlet was the first to go. "Man, that's better," she sighed, flexing her sore muscles. "Is there a medic on board, 'cuz I need 20 CCs of what the hell's going on…stat." She chuckled. "I wonder if Kotarô-kun got back alright…I can't have him die yet. I still owe him an ass kicking. Mongrel…" She laid her head back and fell asleep. Setsuna laughed. "Ayaka-san's going to throw a real bitch fit when she sees Asuna in this condition."

"And Konoka-chan will react any better?" Negi parried. Setsuna stopped laughing. "Oh, shit…You're right. She's going to give me another one of her famous 'What would I do if I lost you, Set-chan?' lectures." They all laughed, except for Alucard. He was slumped against the wall, lost in his thoughts. He was violently brought back to reality when he realized that he was being spoken to. "You are the infamous General Alucard 'Bloodbane' Tepes, yes? I am honored to meet you, sir." He snapped to attention. "1st Lieutenant Holger Breichen, at your service, sir. Codename: 'Blitzkrieg'." Alucard sniggered. "You sound like you're a damn rookie. How many field missions've you been on, son?" He thought about it for a minute, still at attention. "That ist classified, sir. I am from the special operations division. I don't have the authorization to supply infantry-related statistical information."

"You still sound like a rook…" Alucard let his head fall back against the steel plating with a dull _thud_. "The blonde…how's her wound?" He asked breathlessly. Holger glanced over. "I don't think that I can get close enough to find out. I'll be honest: I'm scared shitless of her." Alucard damn near hit him. "Wrong blonde, retard! You were a military paper-pusher before this weren't you? Anybody with field experience would know who I'm talking about."

"No…I've always been a field agent. I'm a spec-ops agent, though. When one of our people are wounded, they're SOL unless they know how to treat themselves. We're always taught that the mission comes first. I'm sorry, but I'm a sniper, not a medic. I couldn't tell a scratch from fatal. My specialty is killing, not healing…sir." He added hesitantly. "Look, _Lieutenant_, just get us back to base. Some of us need medical attention, though I doubt you'd understand." He snapped off a crisp salute. "Sir! Yes, sir!"

xXxXxXx

The harsh white lights of the medical facility's ceiling was becoming a sight all too familiar to Alucard as of late. Rosa had insisted that he be taken here as soon as they left the dropship, even though he had insisted that he had only overexerted himself. In the end, they had to magically bind him to the gurney in order to drag him there against his will. He currently lay in his bed, fuming, still unable to move; only now he was bound to the damn bed. He had managed to wriggle his arms under his feet, so his arms were no longer tied behind his back, but the magic shackles wouldn't break. They glowed a brilliant blue in great contrast with the deathly whit of his skin. It didn't matter if he got out of the shackles or not. He still couldn't figure out how to release the seal restraining him to the bed. Damn medics.

He was still fuming as the doors slid apart, letting both Negi and Asuna in to visit. "Hi, Alucard…er, I mean…sir!" Asuna stammered, noticing the look he was giving her. His death glare could instill fear in anyone. "I told you: drop the 'sir' shit. I'm not that formal. Unless you're here to break me out…I'm really in no mood to talk. The friggin' ceiling is giving me a headache because it's too bright, and they refuse to turn it down. 'We need to see, General. We have a job, too. It's our job to see that you heal properly,'" He quoted in a high-pitched voice, mocking them. "Their bedside manner is terrible. I'm in a fucking isolation chamber! There's nobody in here but me! At least give me a blindfold!" He yelled the last part, hoping that one of the orderlies would hear him.

Asuna placed a hand on his shoulder. "You do know that they have it this bright to eliminate all shadows in here, right? They want to make sure that you don't use that shadow-melding move of yours and escape." Alucard only grunted an acknowledgment. "Alucard, I've been wondering…" Negi piped up, "…what's been going on with you? You were all courteous and kind to us when you wanted us to come with you, but now you won't even acknowledge us as friends and you act like an ass to everybody. What gives?" Alucard looked at him with true solemnity in his eyes. "I don't make friends with anyone anymore. Everyone close to me has a habit of dying. Maria, Sephiroth, Nagi…any many people that you never knew…All dead…" He looked back at the ceiling, obviously suppressing tears behind his apathetic charade. "That's why I've been so cold to you all, and why I'm going to remain that way. It's for your own good; just don't get involved with me."

Asuna punched him. "You think that I'm going to buy that load of horse shit!?" she yelled. Spit landed on Alucard's face and she hurriedly wiped it off, lest she pull the lions tail. "You say you don't get close to anyone, yet you dig Negi's sister! WTF, sir!" Negi couldn't help but interrupt. "Whoa, whoa! What's that about 'digging' my sister?" Asuna just rambled on, completely ignoring Negi's constant attempts to get her attention. "…And don't forget that Setsuna-san and I are already a part of your squad, so we're in this together, whether you like it or not and whether I know what 'this' is or not! Which I don't! Do you understand THAT, sir? I'm not going anywhere!" Alucard looked away, and said nothing. Negi, still trying to get Asuna's attention, was roughly tugging at her sleeve.

"What do you want? I'm busy chewing out my C.O.!" Negi shrank back. "I just wanted to know…what was that about 'digging' my sister? What's it mean?" Asuna slapped her forehead. "You've GOT to be fucking kidding me…I know that you're ten years old, but you were teaching middle-school level English at an all-girls school in Japan. If you don't know what it means, go ask the mutt. Don't bug me right now." Negi hung his head and left the infirmary, slinking back to his hotel room, which he shared with Kotarô. He had just placed his hand on the handle when he suddenly remembered what he had walked in on just recently but it seemed so long ago, and shuddered. What brought that thought back? He just didn't know. He stood there, staring at the handle as if it would tell him something.

"Negi-sensei!" His name jerked him back to reality and caused him to look up. Setsuna stood there, blushing bright red. "Um…about the other night…I think it would be best for us both if you would just forget what you saw." Negi couldn't help but blush with her. "Setsuna…That isn't exactly in the file marked 'Shit I can just forget!'" She looked away. "Well…what about the memory-erasing spell?" Negi thought about it for a second, and shook his head slowly. "Sorry, but it never works right when I try to use it. Last time I tried, Asuna ended up naked and damn near killed me when Takamichi walked in. I'm sorry, but there's nothing that I can do. If you could find a more talented sorcerer to perform it, then you have a wonderful idea. But it's a bit out of my reach for now. I'm sorry." Unable to continue on the topic, Negi opened the door and left Setsuna standing in the hallway alone.

Negi looked around his room and actually took it in for the first time. It was very large, Negi couldn't even measure it, and well-decorated. Kotarô was asleep on one of the two king-sized beds above the maroon-colored bed sheets. Vibrant plants were placed nicely throughout the room, and were obviously well-kept. He briefly wondered who did the gardening before he was overcome with the urge to relieve himself. He closed and locked the bathroom door before going about his business. He finished up and admired the architecture of the room. It was reminiscent of the ancient Romans. He was still admiring the room when he was brought back again. This time, by a loud rapping at the door. "Come on, man…I REALLY need to take a piss!" Kotarô.

Negi flushed and quickly washed his hands, then unlocked the door. Kotarô gave Negi just barely enough time to move out of the way before he threw the door open. Negi had just turned to leave when Kotarô's voice caught up with him. "What the hell, man!? Did you seriously put the seat down!?" Negi turned. "I'm just being courteous…" Kotarô shook him viciously. "Damn, man. I think you've been hanging around those chicks too much. They're rubbin' off on ya. I always thought that you were getting' some, not gayin' out!" Negi blinked. "Some?"

"Oh, shit. You did NOT just say that!" Kotarô shook him even harder. "What's happened to you!? Man, I am going to put you right by the time this night is over. I swear it."

Negi had a feeling that it was going to be a long, long night.

xXxXxXx

At first there was silence. Nothing. The orderlies had finally turned down the harsh white lights overhead, adding even more to the illusion of nighttime. The obsessing over his minor injuries was getting out of hand. Alucard took a deep breath, and let it out in a sigh. He was sick of this BS. And of this bed. Quickly, and with only a whisper of a sound, the chamber doors slid open. He didn't even bother to see who it was. Right now, he didn't care. "Please…leave me alone. I do not wish to speak to anyone right now." Night had fallen, and instinct was struggling for control. He wanted to hunt. To feed. It took all his concentration to suppress the feeling. It was much harder to hold back than his tears earlier.

"Really? Not even me?" The voice was soft, sweet, and melodious. He swore under his breath. "I'm sorry. I'm just not in a good mood. Please, come in. Enjoy my little 400 square foot room. Make yourself at home, Nekane." She giggled, and he could feel himself blush slightly. "Why, thank you. You're so polite." She held both of her hands teasingly behind her back. _She's so pretty…_ he thought, while his heart fluttered. "Alucard, listen, I want to be with you. I need to know, do you want to be with me? Please, answer me truthfully. Forget about the whole 'everyone close to me' spiel and answer me from your heart. Do you love me back?" He was silent for a few seconds, debating what he wanted to say. Would he turn away the last chance at love he may ever have? Would he put her life at great risk? It was a morally challenging decision. "…Yes. I do."

"Then let me be with you. Forever." Alucard looked at her questioningly. "What? You know that can't be…We're too different. I can live forever, but you can't." She looked at the ground. "I know. I've thought about that myself. So I've been looking for a solution to that problem…Please forgive me, but I am reduced to take drastic steps. The only choice I have is to give my life so that I may spend it with you. I am going to join you." He understood perfectly what she meant, and began to struggle against the binding spell. He was powerless to stop her. Forget fighting instinct, this wasn't going to end well. She took her arms out from behind her back, revealing that she had been concealing Masamune behind her (he didn't know how she did it. The blade alone was longer than she was tall.). "I'm sorry…" She placed the blade to his skin and drew it back. Blood shimmered divinely on the blade.

"The vampire's kiss works both ways, yes? If a vampire drinks the blood of a mortal, then the bestow power on the mortal at the cost of their freedom. However; if a mortal drinks the blood of a vampire, then they gain the power of the undead without paying the price. Am I correct so far?" Blood dripped off of the blade, landing on the bandage that had been wrapped around her injured shoulder with a small _splat_. "Nekane, stop! You don't know what you're getting yourself into! This isn't a gift! It's a curse! You're not thinking rationally! It's true that we may never grow old, but then we get to watch everybody we know and love grow old and die around us! Think about your brother!" She stopped, thinking. He had struck a nerve. "Nekane…Do you really want to spend eternity with me that much, even if it means that you have to watch your beloved brother die while you are unable to? Do I mean that much to you? A roughneck like me?" She lowered the blade, which clinked gently on the ground. "But…" Tears ran down her face. "Don't make me choose…Please…I feel so strongly…for you…both…"

"Just put the sword down, Nekane. Put it down, and walk away. For me." Blood flowed down the side of his in a thin stream of its own. It felt warm against his cold flesh. "This isn't the path to choose. We'll work it out together, OK?" She looked at him with watered eyes. "Yes, we'll work out my grief together."

"What!?"

Before he could say anything else, she had tilted the sword upward and dripped his blood onto her tongue. It evaporated immediately. "Yuck. How can you drink that?" She rubbed her tongue vigorously on her sleeve, but nothing else happened. "Nekane, you and Negi don't share the same parents, do you? I thought that he was your cousin, but you treated him like a brother." She nodded. "That's right, so why hasn't anything happened?" She coughed gently. "Hmm. My throat hurts all of a sudden. That's weird…" She lightly touched her throat, as if she knew that something was very wrong. That's when everything got worse.

She fell to her knees clutching her throat tightly in her hands, vomiting pools of her own blood. "It burns! What's happening?" Alucard's head fell back against the bed. "It's too late. The metamorphosis has begun. Why didn't you listen? I'm so sorry, but prepare yourself. The transformation process is hell." The burning spread from her throat up into her head, and down throughout her body. She began to sob uncontrollably. "What have I done? Please, help me!" He diverted his gaze back to the ceiling. "I'm sorry. But there's nothing that I can do. The process cannot be halted. Your life is already ending." She collapsed, clutching at her skin, which felt as if it had ignited under the burning sensation. The pain was so intense that it caused her vision to narrow until she was reduced to tunnel vision. She watched through teary eyes as the color drained from her skin, and could feel her incisors twisting, reshaping into the ungodly fangs they would become with such pain that would force a human to black out. It's too bad that she could no longer be called human.


	9. New Love

**CHAPTER 9**

At first there was nothing. Nothingness that comforted, consoled. It was nice, that nothingness. Peaceful and tranquil, like it must have been before the war. There were no dreams, nothing to insinuate any kind of feeling. That was before _it_ came. _It_ said that it was friendly, that it would show the way, _it _even offered a false smile. _It_ was dark. _It_ was evil. _It_ was seeded.

Everything rushed back before she knew it. The world returned like turning on a lamp, only everything was sharper than she remembered it. The cold tile of the med bay floor. The tangy odor of some cheap air freshener circulating in the air ducts. Even the hum of the A/C seemed louder. How long had she been out? She let out a deep breath, fogging up the tiles. Something just didn't feel right. _Move. Hunt. Feed._ She felt the voice more than she heard it. She moved her arms to push herself up. She was inclined to obey. Why?

Her fingernails dug into the tile as she pushed herself into a sitting position. Odd. She kept her nails slightly long, yet not enough to dig into tile… She held her hands in front of her face and gasped in horror when she remembered what she had done.

Trembling, Nekane took a wide-eyed look around the room. The perfectly smooth neon-orange walls reflected the overhead neon lights too well, making the interior of the room much too bright. Orange walls? Those medics had one fucked up sense of décor. There was a hospital bed nearby that had been knocked over. Apparently they medics had carted her off to another room and she had overturned the bed she was put on during whatever had happened. Slowly and unsurely, Nekane crawled to her feet. She didn't feel as if she could stand, but she was confident that she could. In the end, she had to use to wall to help her stand. She swayed and almost fell as she hobbled to the door, and fell to her knees with her hand on the handle. She couldn't muster the strength to turn it. Man… The transformation did one hell of a number on her. She forced herself onto her feet once more and put her entire weight on the handle. The door swung open without a sound.

She stumbled out into the sick bay and fell again to her knees. It felt like her head was enswathed in flames. Beads of sweat rolled down her face in droves. Something was definitely wrong with her. She thought about finding some medicine, but the thought of drinking water caused her stomach to wretch violently, and she began to heave. _I guess it's good that I haven't eaten yet…_ The thought of food caused her stomach to wretch again. The bile burned her throat.

She wiped her mouth off on her hand before opening her eyes onto the world that spun around, twisting and dividing before her. Her eyes sensed the dizziness long before her body. Before she even noticed her light-headedness, she was already on the ground slipping back under. In her last moments of consciousness, as the world bled to black, she vaguely thought that she heard a small explosion, yelling, and footsteps. _Geez. I just can't stay conscious, can I…?_

xXxXxXx

"…That's the long and the short of it. You got it?" Negi nodded slowly. Chalk up one more on the awkward conversations chart. "Oh, wait!" It clicked suddenly. "So _that's_ what I caught Setsuna-san and Konoka-chan doing?" Kotarô grabbed him and shook him once. "Are you telling me that you saw two babes like that getting it on and DIDN'T TELL ME!? If you say 'yes', I swear I'm going to kill you!" Negi swallowed. "Well…Setsuna's head was between Konoka's legs…" Big mistake. "WHAT THE FUCK, MAN! WHY DIDN'T YOU LET ME IN ON IT!?" He was shaking Negi back and forth violently now. Negi could feel his brain liquefying.

"…OK. So you say that they caught you watching. What was your excuse?" Negi shrugged. "Well…They didn't really catch me…I heard Konoka scream, busted in the door, and there they were. I left in a hurry." Kotarô groaned and rubbed his temples. "Great, man. If you'd've come up with some excuse or tried to explain what happened, things'd be easier. Now there's always going to be those damned awkward moments whenever y'all're in the same room. And now I'm obligated to haul your ass out of the friggin' fryin' pan. You're one big pain in the ass, d'ya know that?" He groaned again. "Stay right there. I'm going to go help solve your problem." He closed the door behind him with a gentle click, and Kotarô's footsteps padded off down the hall.

The clock on the wall of the room gently ticked the time away. _I wonder what Kotarô can do to help in this situation?_ He wondered. This was a situation that he really should handle alone. It was several minutes before Negi heard footsteps again, only this time there was more than one person. And they sounded like they were in a hurry. He stood up as the door was opened, and Kotarô (holding her by the arm) spun Setsuna into the room. Konoka followed without the need of force.

"Hey! What the hell, Kotarô? You didn't need to be so rough!" Setsuna was rubbing her wrist where Kotarô had grabbed her. "Hey, you didn't want to cooperate. I'm just helping him out." He gestured towards Negi, who was still standing. Setsuna blushed again. "Oh…um…Negi-sensei…hi…" She bolted for the door, which Kotarô swung closed and locked. "Oh, no you don't. You three need to work this out like adults. Nobody leaves until it's all worked out. Capieche?" He took Setsuna and Konoka over to the beds and made them take a seat. "Start talking."

"I think that Set-chan's overreacting to the whole thing. When Negi-kun took our door off, he sounded like something had caused him to worry about us." She neglected to mention _what_ he had heard, but it was irrelevant for now. "I think it was an honest mistake. Besides, having someone watch us sounds like it'd be kinda hot. OOOH! We should have them tape it, too! Ohh, that'd be SO hot!" The room suddenly got warmer. Kotarô's interest had been gotten. "But, Ojōama…Don't you think that the…ummm…_bonding_…of two individuals should be private?"

Konoka waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, pee-shaw. It helps build intimacy between friends, and…other…stuff…hmm…" It was obvious that she couldn't think of anything else. "Oh, well. It's settled. Negi-kun and Kotarô-kun can watch us if they so choose. That's my decision. What about you, Set-chan?" Setsuna looked down. "W-Well, if that's what you want, Ojōsama, then I have no objections."

"Set-chan, could you _please_ stop calling me Ojōsama? I thought that our relationship put us past that…" She kissed her. "Please?" A sparkle seemed to come into their eyes and they kissed again, only more passionately this time. Setsuna gave way to Konoka, and they both fell onto the bed. Konoka turned to Negi and Kotarô, and winked. "Well, whadda ya say, boys? Wanna watch?" Kotarô's nose started to bleed slightly.

"What kind of a dumbass question is that? Hell yes!" He said, with much energy. Negi groaned slightly. For some reason, he was interested in watching this time. "Kotarô, you know that they're my…" He was cut short. "No, they're not. Mahora was destroyed, remember? They're not students, and you're not a teacher. Now don't interrupt." The girls had already gotten their shirts off, and Konoka was working on Setsuna's bra one handed. The other hand was up her skirt. "It's my turn to please _you_ Set-chan." Konoka whispered it in her ear, then nibbled it. Setsuna was obviously getting very wet. "Yes…"

Kotarô was shaking wildly and mumbling under his breath. "Oh _hell_ yeah, oh _hell_ yeah…" He was getting pretty worked up, too. Konoka succeeded in getting Setsuna's bra off and was rubbed it gently with her free hand before pressing her mouth to it. Kissing it. Nipping at it. Setsuna's breaths came in quicker succession. "Please, don't tease. I want you so bad right now." She gasped. Konoka pressed a soaked finger to Setsuna's lips. "Now, now, Set-chan. I'm in charge this time." She slid down to Setsuna's legs and slowly began to remove Setsuna's biker shorts. "Tonight, Set-chan, I'm gonna make you call me 'Mommy'."

"Holy shit. This rocks…" Kotarô mumbled to Negi. Both viewers had kicked back on the other bed to watch with much interest. Negi looked at the smooth curves of their bodies and couldn't help but picture Anya. He wondered how smooth her skin was, how she tasted. It was as if his little 'talk' with Kotarô had awoken something in him. Some perverted being that had been asleep inside him until now. He had to remember to thank Kotarô.

He was wrenched back into reality by Setsuna's moaning. He snapped back to see Konoka deep between the now-nude Setsuna's legs, stripped down to just her panties. One of Konoka's hands was threaded between her own legs. Setsuna's hands lay on top of Konoka's head as she pulled her deeper, wanting (or craving) more. Kotarô had given into his urges and was beating furiously over in the corner. Negi had no intention of turning. Or going into that corner ever again.

Konoka nipped Setsuna's clit and was rewarded with a face full of her lover's fluid. Setsuna let out a small moan. "Oh, God, yes!" There was plenty more where that came from. Konoka cleaned the two of them up with ease gleaned only through experience. "You're extra-tasty today, Set-chan. Is it because something's different?" Her eyes darted over to Negi for only a second. He was sweating profusely. "I love you, Konoka!" She giggled. "I love you, too, Set-chan." Konoka dug in and went back to work.

xXxXxXx

"God DAMN it! Let me out of here!" Alucard struggled violently against the spell that bound him to his bed. "Don't you dumbasses realize that I'm the only one who can do anything? LET ME OUT!" It had been several minutes since they had carted her off down the hall like they could do something. "My apologies, General; but as long as you're in _my_ medical ward, I give the orders. You're not going anywhere until you've recovered. The girl that spoke had her back to him at the moment, so he was talking to her short pink hair. She was wearing a sleeveless red shirt, with a white circle between the shoulder blades, and white armbands at the elbow. She had a white shirt tied at the waist, which covered her black shorts. She was currently pulling on black gloves. Alucard groaned. "Doctor Haruno, look. I don't know what you people think you can do to help her, but I'm the only one who can." She ignored him. "If you didn't want her to end up like that, you shouldn't have let her taste your blood."

"I'M BOUND TO THE FUCKING BED! WHAT'D YOU WANT ME TO DO, PISS THE SWORD OUT OF HER HANDS?" She sighed. "Please calm down, General. This won't take long." Her hand began to glow white as she placed in to his body. "Hmm…You still have several broken bones and strained muscles. I'll do what I can to help, but I'll need you to cooperate. Please hold still." Alucard was still unable to move. "Sakura. I CAN'T move." She ignored him.

"…There. All done. I'll need you to stay here one more night, to be sure your wounds don't reopen. Tell me, sir. How'd you sustain such massive damage? The most severe damage is completely internal. Self-inflicted. What happened?" He glared at her. "If you make me stay here another night, I'll show you." She laughed. "Please, sir. Lady Rosa placed the spell on you. You won't escape. If you'd rather not tell me, that's fine, too. I'll check you again tomorrow." She turned to walk away, and Alucard's temper flared. "You leave this room, and you won't live to regret it." He struggled against the spell, his muscles bulging under the exertion. "I won't warn you again, Sakura."

"Whatever, sir." The door slid open and she stepped through. Alucard felt the seal cracking under the stress. "Sakura…You're pushing it." She continued forward, and the door slid closed behind her. With a stressed yell, Alucard broke through the seal and destroyed the bed." He landed on his feet. The door slid open again as Sakura came running back into the room. "What the…?" He glared maliciously at her. "I'm not staying here. Stand aside, Doctor." She drew up her fists, knowing full well what was coming. "General, I'm not letting you through. Even if I have to rehospitalize you." He smiled a fanged grin. "You can try." She disappeared, reappearing before him. She swung her fist hard. Alucard ducked and brought his fist up into the underside of her chin. She crashed into the ceiling and plummeted back down. She landed face-first on the ground and struggled to move.

He scoffed. "Pathetic. I thought you were a Konoha ninja." He turned to leave and was grabbed from behind. Sakura slammed him into the wall. She drew her fist back and thrust it into his back. The sheer force blew the wall out. "Good night…sir." She let him go and instead of slumping to the ground like she thought he would, he whipped around and slammed his arm into the side of her head. She was thrown into the doorway and hit her head on the frame. She fell to the floor, blood pouring down her face. She watched weakly as Alucard stepped over her and out into the hallway. "Which room is she in?" Sakura looked up. "Down the hall to…the right. There will be…repercussions for this." He didn't say a word.

The halls were deserted. Very odd. He moved swiftly down the hall towards Nekane's room. Perhaps there was still time. It seemed to take forever to move down the hall, only to find her unconscious outside it. He rushed to her side. "Nekane!" He took her in his arms. Her skin held no color that was indicative of life. He was too late. "No…" She stirred in his arms. "Alu…card? Uggh. My head feels as if it's on fire. What's wrong with me?" He pulled her close to him. "Just go to sleep. I'll take care of everything." Forget his earlier statement. For once, someone dear to him suffered a fate worse than death. The least he could do is destroy the killer inside her. "You can use my bed." The two of them disappeared in the embrace of shadows.

xXxXxXx

Negi and Kotarô stumbled through the near-deserted halls of the guest quarters, asked by several if they felt alright. "Hot damn, Negi. I don't think that any night of my life is gonna top tonight. I never thought that I'd get to see two chicks do it in person." He was drooling. "How many times did Setsuna-nēchan cum? I counted twelve, but I was pretty hypnotized there…" He looked over to Negi to find eyes were dead and glazed over. He was still back in the room. Mentally, at least. When they had left, the two girls were sleeping soundly on Negi's bed. Lucky bastard. "Man...If that's what's gonna happen, you gotta let me help you out more often." Negi nodded vigorously. "I've never seen that side of Konoka-san before. I like it."

They left the dorms into the perpetually dark underground cavern. "Where are we going, Kotarô?" He didn't know. "Negi-kun! Kotarô-kun!" A figure draped in red dropped down in front of them. "You two have been summoned. Where is Evangeline? I need her, too. And I believe I've been told to assemble your friends Nagase and Kū Fei. Who else can fight?" They looked at Tai questioningly. "Why?"

"The Director has taken all events into consideration and crunch several numbers. The odds of survival in the new world are slim. Our job is not done, so anybody in the base with combat experience of any kind is being conscripted. You all have been drafted. You start tomorrow." Her thick accent was really clearing up. "And I've been added to your platoon. Our C.O. is Bloodbane. Tell him that he's to teach me swordplay via order from the Director next time you see him." Negi and Kotarô looked at each other. "Umm…All right, but everybody else has already left. We're all that's left from where we're from. Of Anya, Ayaka-san, Nodoka-san, and Asakura-san, the only one left who might have combat experience is Anya, but I don't think she's fought once."

"Well, you better train her fast, 'cuz she's with us now. I've got to go get ready. Demon patrols have been getting closer to one of our entrances, and I'm on guard duty. I just came to tell you." She turned to leave. "Oh! And please tell Evangeline about the conscription. Thanks!" She disappeared.

"Damn. Things must really be going wrong upstairs if they're putting the people that they rescued in harm's way again." Kotarô's mind finally seemed to be (temporarily) off of what he had viewed not an hour ago, with no idea of what was coming. Damn, man. I guess we should get some rest, then. Hey…uhh…Do you think we should use the girls' room, since they're in ours."

"Yeah. We probably should, but you go ahead. I'll be in later." Kotarô turned away to go back, but hesitated. "We both know that Anya has combat experience, so why'd you say that she probably didn't?" Negi looked down. "I…I'm not sure. I guess I just don't want to get anyone else involved in this conflict." Kotarô looked back. "You're right. This is our fight." _He SO likes her_, he thought. "Whatever. Catch ya later, bro. If you're gonna go meet up with Anya, just remember what I told you." He raised one hand in the air in parting and went back into the dorms.

The base was unnaturally quiet this late at night. Eerily so. Negi heard his footsteps echoing off of the steel walls. He knew that there was a gigantic fountain down this corridor. That would be a good place to sort things out. Everything today had happened so fast, it felt as if he were a whole new Negi. Older, somehow. It seemed like years since they arrived, but it had only been a few days. A week tops. But already, everybody seemed a little older. More mature. What was it that Alucard said about the flow of time? He couldn't remember. The gentle sounds of flowing water reached his ears, and he brought himself back to his walk. He'd sort it out later.

The fountain was beautifully ornate. Mermaids decorated the wall, and 'swam' around inside it. He sat down on one of the benches and watched the water flow airborne and come crashing back down. Just like his hopes. He finally found his father, hoping to fight alongside him, just in time to see him die. Eva was just as devastated. "Grrr…What am I supposed to do now?" He spoke his thoughts out loud. "You press on. You come with us for the final battle, Negi-kun. Your father's murderer is within those castle walls. Help me avenge his death." Alucard was sitting next to him. "I heard that you and Kotarô have been drafted into my squad."

Negi nodded. "Yeah, but…I what do I have to fight for? Revenge will just leave me feeling this empty when we win…I have nothing left…" He put his head in his hands. "Negi…I understand how you feel. You couldn't understand the pain I felt when I had to kill my own father. Twice. It is because of that pain that I can understand yours." He leaned over, placing his elbows on his knees, and looked at the floor. "You see…My mother was murder by the villagers of the town we lived in. Murdered because she married my father. If things were different, and you still knew this…would you blame me for hating humans?" Negi hesitated, but shook his head. "No…I don't think that I would. Where is this going?"

"That is why I fight, Negi. I fight to prove myself. I fight so that nobody else will have to suffer the pain I did as I was force to watch the townsfolk murder my mother. But I still don't hate humans. Do you know why? Because of what my mother told me before she died. She said: 'Do not hate humans. If you cannot live with them, then at least do them no harm. For theirs is already a hard lot.' My point, Negi, is that you must make a reason to prove your existence. If I were in your position, I would fight to prove my power. To prove that I was just as good as Nagi, or maybe…Even better than him. But in the end, it's your choice. My first order to you is to find a reason to live, because I don't want a suicidal maniac in my platoon." He stood and gave the fountain one last look. "You have my condolences for your losses." Negi looked up.

"'-es?' As in more than one? Who else died?" Alucard paused. "Oh, right. I forgot to tell you. He stood up straight and looked Negi in the eye. My most sincere apologies, Negi-kun; but your sister, by no act of mine and against my heavy protesting, drank a bit of my blood. She is no longer among the living. I could have saved her, but the good doctor kept me restrained until it was too late." He bowed to him. Negi grabbed him and slammed him into the wall behind him, the runic markings on his arms glowed as the power of _Magia Erebea_ flowed through him. He pressed one arm into Alucard's throat. "If it was not by your hand, then how the hell did she get your blood? Huh?" He pushed Alucard further into the wall. He kept his cool. "Weapons are stored under minimum security. She took my sword and used that."

"I thought that only the owner could wield Masamune. Before Sephiroth died, he passed it on to you. How could she have gotten it? Explain _that_!" Alucard grabbed Negi's arms and removed them, freeing himself. "While Sephiroth was the wielder, only the owner _could_ wield it. Do you know why? Because Sephiroth would kill anyone who tried to take it." Negi's arms fell to his sides, and the runes faded. "That makes sense." Alucard dusted himself off. "Are you done? I never said that your sister was dead. I just said that she isn't among the living. Drinking the blood of a vampire imbues the vampire's power without paying the price of the victim's freedom. She took advantage of my being bound. I still have no idea what was going through her head, but I'm going to find out once she wakes up. You're welcome to help me. She won't be the same, so don't be too surprised if she acts schizophrenic. She's going to have urges to do things that she'll have to fight. If my purification failed, some of those will be the urges to feed and slaughter. If that's the case. I'll deal with her myself."

He turned to leave again, but paused. "Wait a second…" He walked back to Negi and placed one gloved hand on his forehead. "That's strange. Your internal clock is speeding up. Slowly, but it is. This wasn't happening earlier…I wonder if it has anything to do with the appearance of Pandæmonium. Is its presence screwing up the flow of time? No…It'd be allowing all the different time streams to flow in, and each person's internal clock would be realigning with the one that it's most familiar with." A look a fright suddenly flickered across his face. "Of course. It's a rip in space. Damn. Why didn't I see this sooner?" He removed his hand and placed them both on the sides of Negi's head as he knelt down to his level, looking him right in the eyes. "Negi. Gather everybody left from your world. We need to talk. Meet here at Oh-Six-Hundred hours _sharp_. That's an order. You all are in danger." Negi ran off without a word.

xXxXxXx

Consciousness came abruptly, as if someone had yelled in her ear. Pain seeped into her body slowly as she became more aware of her surroundings. The dark room was familiar, but she didn't recognize it right away. It finally clicked. Alucard's. She sat up in the bed, wincing at the pain. Her back felt as though it had been ripped open. "Hello? Alucard?" Her voice sounded weak and far off. No response. _Of course. He'd be telling Negi about what happened._ What _did_ happen? The last thing she remembered was going to see Alucard in the hospital, then nothing. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and stood up, swaying once. She felt off balance, back-heavy. Though the room was pitch-black, she could see just fine. The shape of the furniture in the room was crisp and clear. There. A light switch mounted on the wall not twenty feet away, near a dresser.

She flipped the switch and lights lit up around a mirror mounted on the dresser. It seemed oddly feminine and out of place. Oh, well. She needed to see herself. She felt like crap. To her surprise, all that the mirror showed her was her tattered green dress in her shape and everything else that was lit behind her by the lights. She wasn't there. She couldn't make any sense of it. Why wasn't she reflected? Slowly, her memory drizzled back. The glint of steel, the spray of blood, collapsing in the hall. It all dawned on her, and terrified her. What would cause her to do such a thing? She had watched it all, unable to stop herself. It was like watching a nightmare.

"You're awake already? I guess your healing quicker already, then." Alucard walked in off the balcony. The same balcony where he had decided to show her some of his past at the tree. She turned to him. "I…I'm so sorry." He picked something up off the table. "Here. I brought some clothes for you, seeing as your dress is shredded. I hope they're the right size. I went to the tailor to have him make you something, but the damn pervert wanted to make you wear nothing but a bustier and a thong. He said it was 'traditional female vampire attire'. I came close to beating him when he suggested it." He set the clothes on the bed and pulled her into an embrace. "Are you okay?"

"I…I don't know. I think so." He released her and held her in front of him. "Good. Then please forgive me for this." She was puzzled. "Forgive you for wha…" He slapped her across the face. "What the _hell_ were you thinking!? What on earth would possess you to do something so goddamn foolish!? I specifically told you that vampirism is a curse! Not a blessing! You'd better have one damn good explanation!" He waited to hear a response. She lightly touched her cheek where he had slapped her. She looked shocked. "I…I don't know…I tried to stop, but…something wouldn't let me… The last thing that I clearly remember is going to visit you. The next thing I know, I'm watching myself drink your blood and trying to make myself stop. My body was moving autonomously…You _hit_ me." He sighed. "I'm sorry, but I had to knock some sense into you. Are you okay?"

She pulled herself closer to him, kissing his neck. "I _liked_ it. That's the strange part." He grabbed her by the shoulders and held her in front of him once again. "Nekane, you're Undead now. You need to fight these impulses that you'll experience. Eventually, they'll fade away and you'll have control over yourself again. You won't have to worry about lusting for blood. I took care of that." She looked at him; her once beautiful blue eyes had turned to red. "I've been nothing but a burden to you all this whole time, haven't I? Perhaps I shouldn't have come along."

"Don't talk like that. You know we all care for you…Some of us more than others." She giggled, and picked up the clothes he had brought for her. "No peeking." She was being purposefully teasing. He stepped out onto the balcony, closing the curtains behind him. He leaned out over the edge, watching the base below. It really was beautiful. From behind, Nekane unexpectedly wrapped her arms gently around his neck and pressed her body onto his back. He suddenly felt much sweatier. "A funny thing happened just now. Those clothes that the tailor suggested seem to have found their way into the pile of clothes that you brought me. Care to explain?" He didn't know what to say.

"It's those damn terrorists, I tell you." He said jokingly, trying to work some room for a decent half-assed explanation. He had merely taken them on a whim, never actually planning on giving them to her. He'd forgotten that he had them. "Umm…I didn't know what your taste in battle gear is? Yeah…That's it." He turned around to find her wearing them. If he still had a heartbeat, it'd be skipping. "Well? Does this suit me?" She was obviously having difficulties fighting her urges. "Uhh…Yeah, actually. Black suits you. Matches the color of your wings. I guess it also _could_ work as battle gear, providing more mobility than protection…Maybe." She placed a hand to his mouth. "Would you care to repeat that?"

"Which part? The battle gear part?" She shook her head. "Your outfit there matching the color of your wings?"

"That part. What do you mean?" He reached behind her and grabbed one of her new, black, leathery, bat-like wings. "Your wings. Haven't you felt off-balance? You've had them since before I found you in the hall. I guess that they're emergence is part of why your dress was torn to shreds." She took the edge of the wing in her own hand, feeling her own touch in her back. It felt weird. "So…This really isn't a dream, is it?" She could see the sorrow in his eyes. "No…I wish it was."

"I guess it's like that once song that I can't remember. There's a line that says 'And they shall never know: For love I sold my soul.'" Alucard laughed. "Funny. The name is ironic, too. It's called 'I Died for You', by the band 'Iced Earth'. I didn't know that you liked that kind of music." She shook her head. "I don't. My neighbor liked to turn it up to where I could hear it."

"Ah."

She grabbed him around the neck and gently pulled him back into the room. She fell backwards onto the bed, dragging him with her. She kissed him. With a passion that made Alucard wonder if this wasn't her choice. Maybe these aren't all impulses. Maybe this is just a side of her that she hasn't shown… He broke the kiss. "Nekane. I need you to seriously think now. Is this how you want to be? Really? If you don't want to follow this path, I need you to fight your impulses. For me…Please…" She giggled again. "I've wanted this for a while, now, Alucard. I've wanted you. I finally feel like we're close."

"Is that you saying that, or the vampire?" She stopped. "I…I don't know…" She let him go, and he stood up. "I'm sorry, but I don't love you. I love Nekane. The Nekane I met at Mahora. You are not her. You're just in her body." She placed her head in her hands and began to cry. "H-Help me, Alucard…I don't want to be like this. This…This isn't me! Isn't there something…_anything_ that you can do?"

"There is one thing, but it'll be excruciatingly painful. I can purify you. The pain you will feel will be similar to the pain a ghost feels while it's being exorcized. You'll feel like you're going to die. I didn't do it earlier because I didn't want to hurt you anymore than you already had been." She didn't hesitate. "I _will_ die. The other me. Please do it…for both of us." He placed his palm to her forehead, hesitated, then forced his own being into her, and forcibly began to remove all impurities from her body. She screamed in pain. Shadows poured out from her mouth, her nose, any place that it could use for an exit. It lasted only ten seconds, but it felt like years to her. When he finally pulled his hand away, she toppled over sideways. He caught her, sat next to her, and use himself as a pillow. Either she didn't complain, or she couldn't. Either way, she was conscious.

"I feel…different…better…I think my mind is my own, again. Though' I have to admit, I think the playful me was kinda fun." Alucard bowed his head. "Maybe for you, but it was painful for me to watch you be someone you're not." She place one hand on his knee. "You know, putting on this outfit was my idea, right. Not the other me. I figured that you'd like it, even though I knew that you grabbed it on a whim and weren't going to give it to me intentionally." She felt the surprise in him, even though her head was in his lap. "Don't be so surprised. I'm a magician, after all. I can read minds. I have to say, this is more comfortable than I thought it would be. I think I'll make these my everyday undergarment. Not these exactly, of course. I'll need to go shopping. Are there stores down here?"

"No, but I can take you to the nearest ones tomorrow." He found that he was absentmindedly stroking her head. "Good. I'd like that." Alucard couldn't fight his emotions any longer. He loved this woman, like he had loved Maria. Perhaps more so. No…Definitely more so. He loved her, and she loved him enough to sacrifice her own life for him. That made his love all the greater. "Nekane…?" She placed her hand on his. "Hmm?"

"I…I can't deny it any longer. I love you."

"I'm glad you came around. I love you, too, Alucard." She rolled onto her back, placed one hand on either side of his head, brought his to her, and kissed him. The first real kiss that was shared between them. She had never experienced magic like this before. Magic that couldn't be replicated and taught in class. Passionate, sweet, gentle. She could even feel the power held back behind it. It made her feel strange. She pushed him over onto his back and the kiss got fiercer. She finally broke it. "Is this where we…you know…" She turned a little red. "I don't really know. I've never been with a man before…" He brushed a strand of hair from her face. "It depends on what _you_ want. Where do you want to go from here?" He understood where she wanted to go when she repositioned her hands. "Umm…I don't know what to do…It's my first time…"

She learned everything she needed to know, and enjoyed learning it all.

xXxXxXx

Morning seemed to come early over the base. The ex-students of Mahora all raced to avoid being late to the meeting that Alucard had called. Negi made it sound urgent. Asuna an Ayaka strolled in, casually late, hand in hand. Asuna waved to him. "What's up, boss?" Kotarô leaned over to Negi and sniggered. "Someone got laid late night." He whispered to him.

"What's 'up' private is that your life spans are deteriorating abnormally fast. I first noticed it in Negi last night. Because of Pandæmonium, your internal clocks are re-synchronizing with the flow of time from your dimension, which runs about 133% faster. Until we destroy that castle, you all will age faster than you should. The effects seem to be worse on the younger ones, namely Negi-kun, Kotarô-kun, and Anya-chan. Their clocks seem to be running even faster. It's been three days since the castle arose, yes? In that time, I estimate than you three've aged about six months. Anya, I believe that would put you past your birthday. You're now thirteen, yes?" She nodded. "If what you say is right. But, why would we age faster?" He shrugged. "The resynchronization is because Pandæmonium isn't from this universe. The rip in space needed for it to remain here is allowing the time streams from all the universes that have collapsed to flow into this universe. Your internal clocks are resynchronizing to your original time. For the three of you…" He gestured to Negi Anya and Kotarô. "…I guess that because of your magical power, your internal clocks aren't synching up right. Or maybe even to the wrong timeline. By the time we can mobilize, you could have aged horribly." Kotarô stood. "Dude! That sucks! How old are we going to be? Would I still be able to fight?'

"I estimate that by the time we can do anything, you'll be about sixteen. Maybe seventeen. The rest of you'll be about eighteen or nineteen." A silence fell over them. Not as bad as they all thought. Nodoka raised her hand. "Yes, Miyazaki-chan?" She looked down. "Well…umm…Just how are we supposed to destroy the castle?"

"A good question. All of you will run a diversion and distract the guards outside, while Negi and I run rampant and destroy it from the inside. Any other questions?" Setsuna raised her hand and spoke. "Sir? Negi-sensei and the other two…If their magic is what's causing them to age faster, then what about Konoka-ojōsama? Wouldn't her magic cause her to age faster?" He shrugged.

"I'll be honest, Setsuna-san…I don't have the slightest clue what the hell's going on. My theory is only speculation." He looked over the others. Some looked scared; others looked like they didn't believe him. "For now, I suggest that you go about your lives normally for now. I'll come and get you when we can leave. If anything should happen, let's all regroup here. Dismissed."

They wouldn't be able to leave for several months.


	10. True Love

**CHAPTER 10**

"Dude. There've been so many attacks recently. Negi…How long is it going to be before we can go rip that damn castle apart. I like it, in the sense that with this accelerated age come better fighting skills…but this can't be good for us." Kotarô and Negi ran around the bases running track, and not a bead of sweat rolled down their face. Both of them had gotten much taller and each showed considerable power on the battlefield. Kotarô slowed down to stop by the showers. Negi, noticing that he had lost his friend, turned around and walked back. "Going to hit the weights?" He nodded. "Yeah. It's been a while."

"Alright. I'm going to hit the showers and grab a bite to eat. I'm starved." Kotarô shrugged. "Whatever, man. Later." Kotarô slung a towel around his neck and walked through the gym doors.

The cold water of the shower felt good against his skin. He found himself reminiscing in its relaxing beat. It had been a whole month since Alucard had told them that they were going to destroy the castle, but the demons still roamed free in the Nexus. And they were still aging. He turned off the squeaky valve and walked over to the sink as he dried his hair with a towel. Every day that he looked in the mirror, he saw more and more of his father looking back at him. Sometimes, it brought the pain back with it. He was going to go see the General and find out why they haven't done anything. He wanted his revenge. Whatever lurked within those castle walls had taken his father from him, and he would pay it back. He could almost see the hate in his own eyes. "I guess I really _do_ take after mom…" Ever since that day, he felt as though he was becoming more and more like Evangeline.

He quickly dressed himself, slung his bag over his shoulder and strolled out into the back halls of the barracks. He already knew where Alucard would be. He'd be out in the 'sports dome', the fancy name they used for the battle hall where they pitted POWs against each other for entertainment and held sparring matches to keep combat skills sharp. That's where he was teaching that red mage girl how to fence, and Nekane how to fight. Negi laughed as he remembered he seemed whipped when she demanded that he teach her how to fight. She was adamant about helping him. She was even willing to teach him how the _pactio_ worked so she could become his partner. He tried to talk her out of it, failed miserably, and now had a partner. It's amazing how the prettiest girl can make the strongest man in the world succumb to her.

He paused as he passed his room just long enough to thrown his bag inside and was off again. The walk itself wasn't long, as the battle hall was next door to the barracks. Negi jogged down the three flights of stairs that stood between his floor and the ground floor and strolled out the door. Immediately, he heard the clatter of swords and explosions that could only be magic. Sounded like a real party. He briefly considered going to fetch Kotarô, but thought better of it. He carefully stepped over a drunk that lay passed out on the walkway as he walked through the dome's gate. He couldn't help but feel like he was in a baseball stadium. He sat down in a seat on the edge of the field and watched the action that unfolded below.

xXxXxXx

"Faster, Tai. Quick, light steps and accurate swings." The young brunette was wicked fast already. She was naught but a red blur occasionally pierced by flashed of gray. Alucard either blocked or parried every strike. Tai, as long as you keep attacking so head-on, you'll be killed. Find a blind spot and keep moving toward it. Attack from their blind spot. If you can find a blind spot, make one. Do You understand?"

"Yes, sir." She drew back her hand, which began to glow red, and hurled a ball of flames at the ground, throwing dirt and smoke into the air. "Good, Tai! Use your magic to your advantage; however…" A halberd-bearing figure darted airborne behind him through the smoke and lunged at Alucard. He sidestepped and parried the attack, throwing Nekane to the ground. He looked up just in time to duck under Tai's slash and bring his open palm into her navel. The force of the blow was made visible in the smoke. She collapsed, coughing. Alucard stood up and brushed himself off. "…Don't get overconfident."

Nekane stood up, also brushing the dust off of her tight black leather pants and jacket. She didn't even bother with her stiletto boots. Tai, on the other hand, struggled to her feet. "Both of you have gotten much better this last month. I'm proud of you both; however…I have nothing left to teach you. Nekane: my fighting style doesn't match your weapon, so you will have to hone your skills on your own. Tai: as a red mage, any advanced techniques that I could teach you are out of your reach. If you were just a swordsman, I could teach you all of the chain strikes from sectaslash up to octaslash and omnislash. Once you get better, come see me. I'll teach you the trislash, quadraslash, and pentaslash. Anything beyond that is out of your reach." He paused to survey them both. "Congratulations, you're no longer my students."

Tai let out a cheer. Alucard had been incredibly strict with her. He had been more lax with Nekane because he had no skill with polearm weaponry, so he hadn't the slightest clue about how to use a halberd properly, but Tai used the same style weapon as he did. A small round of applause came from the stands. The trio turned to see who had been watching. Negi stood above the gladiators' entrance applauding them. "You've gotten better, Nekane-onēchan. I'm so happy for you! Does this mean that you'll be joining our fight?"

"Of course! I can't let my partner go fight those things alone, can I?" She twirled her halberd around her body, something that was becoming more and more of a habit with her. She had definitely gotten much stronger recently. She stretched out her wings, which she barely bothered to hide anymore. She usually kept them folded up behind her. "Hey, Negi…" Alucard had an idea that would benefit both himself and Negi. "How about you call one of your partners over and we have a little sparring match? I'd recommend that you call Asuna."

"Nah. Let's have a one on one. You and me." Alucard sized him up. He had gotten much taller and lankier in the last month, and his combat skills had improved dramatically. "Sure. You're on. Magic is allowed, but weapons aren't. Agreed? Your staff versus Masamune just wouldn't be fair." He nodded and drew his fists up into his fighting stance. He didn't even have his staff. Alucard undid the cloth holding Masamune's custom-made scabbard and handed it to Nekane. He drew one hand back near his body, palm-down, and the other out in front of him, palm facing Negi. He leaned backwards, away from his opponent. Nekane placed a gentle hand on Alucard's shoulder. "Don't hurt him too bad, please. A few nicks are easy to heal, but I don't want to see him hospitalized because you split his skull." She had the subtle tone of an order in her request. She strolled off, spread her wings, took flight, and disappeared over the wall.

"What kind of stance is that?" Negi looked very puzzled. "It's a hand-to-hand combat style that I use that combines many fighting styles. The stance comes from the Gentle Fist taijutsu technique of the Hyuga clan. Don't underestimate it, Negi." He looked even more puzzled. "What the hell is taijutsu?"

"It's what they call martial arts in a different universe from yours. No more delays. Come at me with intent to kill, or it'll be over before you know it." Negi vanished, reappearing beneath Alucard, thrusting his fist upwards. The attack threw Alucard into the air, but he performed a mid-air backflip and landed on his feet. "Good speed." His right hand became encased in a black shroud. He swung his hand around his front and flung many balls of condensed shadows at Negi, who held out his palm, and caught them all. They swirled around in his hand until he crushed them, speaking one word. "_Complexio_!" The shadows seemed to encase his body, the power shredding most of his clothes. His skin had turned black and the runic symbols on his arms glowed intensely white. _Magia_ _Erebea_. Dark Magic. His voice seemed to have a secondary tone as he spoke. "Come on, vampire. Don't tell me that this is all it takes to scare you."

Alucard vanished and slammed both of his fists into Negi's back, hurling him across the arena. Before he hit the ground, Alucard appeared above him (wings spread wide) and gripped his throat firmly. He slammed Negi into the dirt and dragged him to the wall, where he let go and landed while Negi crashed into the rock. He dusted off his hands as he taunted Negi back onto his feet. "What stills your hand, young Negi? Is this all that your hatred amounts to? Pathetic. You'll never avenge your father with this meager power." The rocks shifted, and Negi lunged from the rubble, fist drawn back and poised to strike. He held a dead look in his eyes. Alucard sidestepped the first strike and punched Negi in the face, dropping him. "Remember that night, Negi. Where you vowed to find your father. You vowed to become as great a wizard as he. You vowed to prove your skills to him, and the bastard in that castle took him away. Look at me, and see him. Crawl to your feet. Prove to me your intent to kill! Show me your hate!"

Negi leapt to his feet and unleashed a flurry of attacks at Alucard, who gracefully dodged every strike thrown. Negi didn't even graze a strand of hair. "DAMN YOU!" He leapt into the air and fired arrow after arrow of lightning at Alucard. The vampire jumped after him and tore through every arrow with ease. He flipped and brought his foot down into Negi's head. Negi dropped to the ground and disappeared in a cloud of debris, while Alucard floated above. "Pitiful. Grovel at my feet, maggot. If this is all the power you have, groveling is the best you could ever aspire to." Negi rushed out of the debris, surrounded by magic arrows. "SHUT UP, SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" Alucard held his hand out and pushed Negi back to the ground, where he landed heavily on his feet. Alucard landed gracefully before him. Let's end this, shall we?" Negi bull rushed Alucard, ready to kill. He threw his fist forward, where Alucard caught it, as well as his other fist as he tried again. Alucard grinned as he pulled his head back and smashed it into Negi's with a sickening _smack_. Negi stumbled backwards, bleeding and temporarily off-balance. All the time Alucard needed. He bent forward, as if offering a sacrifice, and lowered one hand towards the ground while the other was raised up behind his back. Life seemed to invert its colors while a gigantic circular marking spread out along the ground, with Alucard at its center. His hands glowed white in the new shades. Negi had no idea if what he saw was a magic circle or not. He had never seen anything like it.

"Game over, Negi. You gave it a valiant effort, though. This is the strongest martial arts technique that I know. It's called '8 Trigrams, 128 Palms'. I present it to you by courtesy of my deceased friend, Hyuga Neji." He dashed forward with blinding speed and began jabbing his fingers into Negi over and over, never hitting the same spot twice. The pain was so excruciating that Negi thought he would pass out. Alucard dealt the final blow before Negi could even comprehend his movements. He was tossed for a distance and landed on his back. The runes faded and his skin returned to its normal tone. It took quite a while for the pain to fade away. Negi found that with the loss of his _Magia Erebea_, he also lost all of his motor skills. He lay on his back on the dusty ground of the battle hall staring up at the rock ceiling, unable to move. Alucard stood over him, looking down. "Anger and hatred can be a powerful weapon, Negi. But don't ever let your hate overcome you. As soon as it does; not only will you lose yourself, but you will also lose your fight. And more than likely…your life. Let's get you to bed. You don't need to worry about calling for a medic. I didn't inflict any critical damage on you. You'll be fine by tomorrow."

Alucard picked him up and carried him all the way back to his room, where he placed Negi on his own bed to rest. "Don't worry, Negi. The loss of motor skills is a secondary effect to the move. You'll regain movement by the end of the day." He turned to leave and looked over his shoulder. "You did well, and you've gotten much better. When you first came here, you wouldn't have lasted that long. Be proud, kid. You actually hit me. Not many people here can do that. Keep training and you may surpass me one day." He stepped out of the room and the door shut swiftly, leaving Negi alone in the darkness. He had lost, and it hadn't even been a close match. He had gotten it one…maybe two hits and was dominated. Was the gap between their power really so great?

"Don't feel bad, Bōya. He's had centuries more combat experience than you have. It's only natural than he best you in a fight." Evangeline sat in the open window, looking out. I watched your fight. I have to admit…I'm impressed. I didn't expect you to last half as long as you did." She stepped out of the window and into his room. "You looked so much like him. It got to me." She brushed the hair out of his eyes. "Ohh. My poor baby…How bad are you hurt?"

He struggled to speak. It took all of his concentration to voice the word that would go through anyone's mind: "Are you feeling okay?"

"No…I suppose I'm not. Ever since he died, I've felt empty inside. I've noticed that you're starting to act like I used to, as well. You want revenge, don't you?" He couldn't say anything else, and she sighed. "You're not going anywhere without me. You're all I've got left to live for. My only son…"

"You're…scaring…me…" The effort of speaking left him out of breath. "I know. I'm scared of myself, too…kind of…But maybe I just realizing something that I should have realized so long ago." She wrapped him in a tight embrace. He had no idea what to think. "I love you, my son."

xXxXxXx

"Oh, Asuna-chan. That was so fun." Hand in hand, Asuna and Ayaka trekked the half mile from town back to the base. They had gone for a fancy candle-lit dinner under a brilliant full moon. Ayaka walked with her head resting on Asuna's shoulder. She smiled gently. "I never knew that you could be so romantic." Asuna opened the passageway hidden in a slab of rock and the two entered the elevator that arose. "I happy that you're happy. It's so nice to see you smile every once in a while. You usually look kind of scared."

"Well, who wouldn't? Monsters are roaming free on the surface world while we hide underground. I thought that Negi-kun and Alucard-san would have done something about it by now…" Asuna gently kissed the top of her head. "They can't do anything without the permission of the Director. Something tells me that it won't be too much longer." The gentle thrum of the elevator filled the silence between the two as it lowered them to the northernmost airlock of the base. Ayaka fidgeted with her pearl earrings briefly, having to remove her white, elbow-length gloves. Her red dress shimmered beautifully in the subterranean lighting. She got so much prettier this past month. Just looking at her took Asuna's breath away. Asuna's dress was basically the same, only green. She had worn her hair down for the occasion.

"You look beautiful, Ayaka." She blushed. "Aww, thank you. You don't half-bad yourself. I love how your dress sparkles in the light." The elevator doors slid open silently, admitting the two girls entrance to the underground fortress that was their home for now. They often talked about finding a beachfront house together when the war was over, and maybe adopting a child or two. Assuming that that was possible here. Why shouldn't it be?

The two walked through the empty halls together, their voices filling the still air with chit chat and laughter. "Hold on, Ayaka. There's a quick stop I want to make before we say goodbye for tonight. Is that alright with you?" She nodded. "Of course it's alright. Why wouldn't it be?" Asuna nervously shifted her purse, though she kept her nervousness well-hidden. She had something very important in it. If she lost it, she thought that she'd die.

Softly, the sound of the large fountain in the main plaza of the base began to trickle through the halls, intertwining with the sound of their voices. "Boy, the bases just seems dead this late at night, doesn't it?" Asuna shrugged. "I guess I've gotten used to the silence, with being on guard duty so often. I had to have Alucard pull some very important strings to allow for this night off. I suppose the long hours are worth it though. They pay me some good money." The archway to the main plaza was before them before they knew it. "Let's sit down. I don't know about you, but my feet are sore from the hike…" They sat down on the edge of the fountain together. Small drops of water splashed gently against their faces. "Ayaka-chan…I have a question that I want to ask you…"

"Anything. What's on your mind?" Asuna reached into her purse and pulled out something small, which she concealed in the palm of her hand. In one swift movement, she was on one knee with her hands before her in an offering. She held a small jewelry box with a gorgeous diamond ring inside.

"Yukihiro Ayaka…I love you so much…Will you marry me?" Ayaka's hands shot to her mouth in surprise. "Oh my God, Asuna! Of course I will!" Asuna gently removed the ring from the box, careful not to drop it in the fountain, and placed it on Ayaka's finger. She admired it with a sparkle in her eyes, the likes of which Asuna had never seen. "It's beautiful! Oh, but this must have cost a fortune!"

"Don't worry. I've been severely rationing my earnings. I kept just enough to live on. If anyone's worth it, it's you." They kissed passionately. Not another word needed to be said.


	11. Arrangements

**CHAPTER 11**

"Absolutely not. I will not allow you to have a wedding on the surface world. These days, that would surely draw the attention of Pandæmonium. Then you'd have demons swarming all over the reception, ruining your special day and killing many innocent people." The Director was adamant on this subject. "But, sir! Not only will General Bloodbane be there, but so will Special Operations operative Sakurazaki Setsuna! And me, and Negi-kun, and Eva-san (maybe), and Kotarô-kun! Even Negi-kun's sister will be there! She's learned how to fight from the general himself! Plus more! There will be plenty of people there to protect the innocent should anything happen, which it won't! Not if the proper steps are taken!" He raised his hand to silence her. "Enough, Corporal. I will not have any soldier in my army needlessly risking the lives of not only themselves, but other soldiers and civilians. If you do not wish to postpone until after the war, then you must have it at the base."

"I'd suggest that you do as she asks, sir…" Alucard stood in the doorway, leaning backwards on the frame and looking in on the room. "If you don't respect the wishes of a soldier under my command, I can't be held responsible for my actions." The Director rose from his chair and glared at him. "Is that a threat, General?" Alucard was gone and had him pinned against the wall before either Asuna or Ayaka could blink. He gripped the Director by the collar of his suit. His rage struck fear in everyone. "You're damn right it's a threat!" He growled. "I still owe you an ass kicking for sending my best friend to his death without backup! Or me! I'm never going to forgive you for that, I hope you understand that. Before or after the end of the war doesn't matter to me. You will die by my hand. I promise you this." He grabbed him by the throat and slid around behind him. He held his hand up to his temple in a rigid spade. "Or perhaps I should make you suffer everything that I have suffered. Starting with your family, then your friends. Everyone close to you. I'll let you live to suffer the hell I've endured. What do you say to that?"

"Alucard-dono!" He turned. Ayaka stared into his hellishly red eyes, and felt true fear. He wouldn't hesitate to kill her. Or anybody else. "Please…Please stop…" He paused for a moment, considering it. Why stay your hand? DO IT! Kill him. Alucard heard this, and dropped the terrified human. "Fine." Alexandre slid to the ground. Alucard paused by Asuna and Ayaka on him way out. "Go ahead and have the wedding above ground. You have my permission. Forget what this little shit says. On the surface world, I'm in charge. I swear: I won't let anything happen to either of you, or anyone else." He left without another word.

"Damn…" Asuna whispered to Ayaka as the doors slid closed behind them. "I'm so glad that we're on the same side. I wouldn't want to have him pissed at me." Ayaka nodded. "Oh, Asuna-chan!" She wrapped her in a tight embrace. "We can finally get married! I'm so happy!" Asuna squeezed her back. "Yeah…but…"

"What's the matter?" Asuna looked at the ground. "I don't know…I guess I'm just worried about the general. He just hasn't been the same since the mountains. I guess he took Sephiroth's death pretty hard. Or…maybe something inside of him is showing itself. Something happened in the Rukavi base; he shattered the mountain without lifting a finger. He said something about inner evil, and it looked like he was being possessed by his own power. I just don't know what the hell's going on. He won't open up to anyone but Nekane...and she won't betray his trust." Ayaka walked with her arm around Asuna, listening to every word. "I know how you feel. I didn't believe a word he said when he was trying to save us. It's just as hard, if not harder, to watch the man who saved our lives fall into this self-destructive cycle; while I sit here, knowing that I openly called him a liar. I wish I could show him that I'm sorry for doubting him."

"Don't worry, Ayaka-chan. I think he knows. I don't think he would have gone to lengths like he did just for me. I think it was partly for you. Even if you didn't trust him…he trusts you. I think that counts for something, if not much." There was a brief awkward pause between the two of them. "Yeah…that sounded smarter before I said it."

"We should probably start making arrangements soon, get it all out of the way. We have so much to do, with arranging the security taking that much more time." Ayaka sighed. "We don't even have a date set."

"Don't worry about security. I think that Alucard-sempai can handle those arrangements. He'll put his whole platoon on patrol. Minus me, of course. Let's just worry about everything else. Besides, we have tons of friends who could help us." Another pause. "I really need to stop saying stuff. Let's get back to our room. Like you said, we have a lot to do."

xXxXxXx

The problem was getting worse. The situation needed to be rectified before it got out of control. Alucard could feel the rage building within him. He could feel everything that he once was bubbling back into him slowly. It had gotten out once. It would not escape twice. Even now, he could hear it demanding control. _We could have killed him there, together._ "Shut up." _Why do you deny what you are? What WE are? Denying yourself your revenge will never out you on the same plane as humans. We are much too different. Release me, and together we can rule this pitiful world._ "Be silent," He whispered to himself. It didn't matter how loud he said it. Nobody could hear him anyway. He sat atop the Director's office, miles above the ground. "We may have been one, long ago, but now…You are not a part of me anymore. I am not one of you. I do not senselessly slaughter undeserving civilians. I am not a monster, but a man." He could hear its laughter.

'_You are not a part of me anymore,'_ it mocked. _You are weak, vampire. I have no more desire to remain bound to one as weak as you. There is a greater being, calling for my power. From now on, we truly are one no longer._ It was Alucard's turn to laugh. "You cannot escape. I sealed you within me so that you would never escape again, remember?" _The seal is weakened, vampire. Surely you have sensed it. But you have done nothing about it. Perhaps you want me gone. A wretched being such as myself…Your little bitch wouldn't want to look at that, would she?_ Alucard growled at this. "Say that again. I dare you. I will wipe you from existence, you pathetic excuse for a being." A black smoke began emanating from his pores, congregating into a black mass before him. _I already told you. You do not control me anymore._

Slowly, the mass took his shape. Alucard felt as though he was looking at himself, only darker. "I know someone who would be happy to see me, Vampire. Perhaps you remember him?" Without warning, a storm of shadows began to brew between the ceiling and the base. Bolts of black streaked through the sky. "Behold my power, vampire. The power you abandoned so long ago. Try to stop me, and I will eradicate you." Alucard smirked.

"Humph. Is that all you can do? This is but a fancy lights show. A Christmas performance." He casually crawled to his feet and held his hand straight. "Behold." A blade began to emanate from his erect palm. With a quick flick of his wrist, Alucard split the storm. It vanished in a roar of light. "I have been training ever since you were sealed. My power, now unhindered by your absence, is as great as your own. "

"But is it as great as our combined might, young Alucard?" Behind him. Before he could turn, a bolt of electricity ran through his body, causing his muscles to convulse and quit. Alucard collapsed. "Wh…What?" Before he could move, the one behind him place a foot on his head. "Don't worry. I'm not going to kill you. Not yet. I want you to watch as I kill all of your friends. Should I start with your little sweetheart, or should I savor that thrill last?" Alucard struggled under the boot. "If you touch her, I swear…"

"You'll what? Kill me?" He laughed, deep and dark. "You need some new material. You've already killed me once." He lifted his boot and kicked Alucard in the face. "Ha. Look at you. And you're supposed to be a mighty warrior. Perhaps my doppelganger had grown weak with age…" The voice suddenly clicked. "Impossible!"

"Oh, but it is very possible." It rolled Alucard over and smashed its foot down on his chest. Alucard grunted in pain and looked into the empty eyes of the devil. "I'm disappointed that you've forgotten me. It's only been a month." He smiled a wicked grin and pressed down harder. "Is this really all you have, vampire? And you're the son of Dracula?" Alucard was having a hard time breathing now.

"Get up, you pathetic worm." He kicked Alucard across the roof, where he tumbled to a stop near the edge. Alucard shakily crawled to his feet, teetering on the edge of the building. He glanced over his shoulder. Alucard's doppelganger landed next to Satan, laughing. "And to think that I used to be part of you! You're weak, fleshling. Your time is gone. The time for darkness to rise is at hand." The two began to dissipate into a mist-like substance and merged, binding together into a being of unstoppable force. Slender and tall, it hunched forward. Its clawed hands dragged the ground. Its eyes were milky and dead, and it looked at him hungrily. Its skin was pale white and it looked as though it were wasting away. A membrane filled the span between the bones protruding from its back in what appeared to be a set of wings, but Alucard feared that they were more.

"Do you like our new form, vampire?" Its voice constantly shifted, as though it were speaking through the mouths of many. "With this body and this power, I'll be able to forge this world into my own personal slaughterhouse. None shall be able to stop me!" It raised its hand towards him. Shadows leapt off the wall, spiraling inwards, trapped in the vortex. "I have changed my mind. There is no more need for you. Farewell, prince." The sound that the blast made was heard throughout the base, and it was seen by none. Except one.

The blast swallowed everything in its path. Thinking fast, Alucard shifted his weight and ducked under the blast by falling off the roof. The wind rushed past him as he took the express elevator thirty stories down. He opened his wings at the last moment, slowing his descent just enough so the impact didn't kill him. He rolled himself over and collapsed, looking up at the dead eyes above him. "Impressive. I didn't expect you to react so quickly." He could feel its warm breath on his face. Its reeked of death. Alucard snorted. "You really need to brush your teeth. Your breath could wake the dead and kill 'em all over again."

"I see your attitude has not changed a bit in the face of death." It drew its hand back for the kill and paused. "You know what? Taking over everything will be all too easy and much too boring without someone such as you left to oppose me." It lowered it hand. "I suppose I _will_ let you live, for now. I will return in force in ten days. Be prepared, or you will suffer." Alucard blinked, and it was gone. No maniacal laughter, no smell of brimstone.

Alucard flipped himself into a curled-up handstand and leapt to his feet. "Sucker." He dusted himself off quickly and straightened his clothes. He smiled a wicked grin at nobody. "This will be fun…Did you see, Director? What your top secret mission has cost us all?" With a slight sensation of pain, the marked seared into his palm began to glow. It began as a dull red and worked its way up to a bright white. "Let's get started, shall we?" The entire platoon was there in a heartbeat.

"What the hell's going on, sir?" Asuna looked as though she had just crawled out of bed and slapped some clothes on. "Men…and women…I want you all prepped for combat and ready to mobilize. We're going to lead an assault on Pandæmonium in three days." There was an outburst of applause and cheering. "OUR!" He shouted over the raucous squad, "Our pilot's going to be Kazumi. Why? Because she's one of you. This fight involves all of you." Negi was trying o say something; but could not be heard over the noise, which had resumed. Alucard raised his hand, silencing the crowd. "So you've finally gotten the clearance, sir?"

Alucard let out a deep sigh. "Lamentably for me, I'm in charge of clearance…" He pointed up to the huge hole in the side of the Director's office. A gunshot rang out from within. "…As of right now."

Director Alexandre Miller had taken his own life.

xXxXxXx

"…John…" Pocket turned where he stood, looking out over the base from the old abandoned weapons 'shed' where Negi had camped not too long ago. A hooded figure approached him. "…Is it true? Alucard is the new Director?" Pocket returned to his thoughtful gaze. "Yes. It is, August. Director Miller knew what was coming…And decided that he didn't want to be here for his punishment. He took the coward's way out." He watched a young bat return to its nest before he continued. "Our time here's almost up, Rosa. Have you taught the young healer?" She hesitated long enough to lower her hood before answering. "Do you mean young miss Konoe? Yes. I've taught her a little bit of offensive white magic and helped her increase her healing powers immensely. She's a better healer than I am. I just worry if she'll be able to survive the coming storm…"

"They'll be fine. They have each other, and Alucard, and us, and the entire army at their backs, now that their CO is the top dog…" Their conversation dropped off, fear and sorrow gripping them both. "It's coming…isn't it, John." He nodded with sorrow. "Yes. Chaos, destroyer of worlds. With the power of the ultimate spell, his Meteor will shatter our world, and any world where demons unrightfully run free. Once the Nexus is destroyed, the universes will collapse like dominoes. It doesn't matter if they're stable or not." He paused, sniffing. "Can you feel the power of the God of Discord, Tai? Formidable, is it not?"

"'Ow the 'ell did ya know I was 'ere?"

"You've been drinking. We keep telling you not to." She ran her fingers through her coarse brown hair. "Yeah, yeah. Cirrhosis, death, blah, blah, blah. It don't matter no more though…We're all gonna die soon." She took a swig from the bottle in her hand. "Besides. Iz unnly m' fiff bottle. Ah'll b' fine." She was starting to slur her words now. The other two sighed. "Alright. Give me the bottle, Sam." Pocket held out his massive hand. Even in her current state, she could tell that he meant business. She grudgingly gave it to him. He pivoted and hurled the bottle out of the cave. He faintly heard it smash in the distance, followed by someone swearing very loudly.

xXxXxXx

"Owww, man. What the fuck?" Kotarô was sitting on the ground, drenched in a quality brew, grasping his head where a bottle had fallen out of the sky and hit him. "God damn it…" The pain was so severe; it was even causing his vision to split. He probably should have passed out by now. "Damn. What a day. First Chizu-nē dumps my ass, and now I'm getting magic flying bottles smashed over my head! What I do to piss Karma off so bad!?" He remained where he sat for several minutes (swearing the whole time) while he waited for the bleeding to stem off and stop.

"Oh, you poor sing! Vhat has happened to you?" A young woman knelt next to him and pressed a hand to his head. He vaguely felt a warm fuzzy sensation as the pain faded away. He grunted a 'Thank You' and clamored to his feet. "I am Katja. Vhat is your name?" Her voice was tender and sweet, but he still couldn't see right. "Uggh…My name is…uhhh…Kotarô. It's nice to meet you. I wish they could be under better circumstances."

"You have zhe headache, ja?" Clearly she was German. "You're from Germany, aren't you? Uggh…I never met one German until I get here, now it seems that they're crawling all over the place." She pressed a couple of pills into his hand. "Take zhese. Zhey vill help viss your headache." He hesitated. Should he trust her? What did she gain from helping him? Before he could put all his thoughts together, he noticed that he had already swallowed the pills. So much for logic. Much to his surprise, his headache cleared up and his vision straightened out. He finally got a good look at his newest friend. What he saw took him by surprise. She was a beautiful young woman with long, ironed-out black hair, lovely brown eyes and cat ears. Apparently his expression showed through to his face.

"Vhat is zhe matter? Have you never seen eine Katzmädchen before?" Kotarô spent a few seconds trying to put together the unknown word in that sentence. "Ummm…Pardon?"

"Cat-girl."

"OH! Then no. No I haven't." He took a quick walk around her, investigating. She was wearing a light-blue, tight-fitting T-shirt with a grey jacket on over it and a short, dark blue skirt, black thigh-highs and tennis shoes. A tail protruded from beneath her skirt. Both her ears and her tail were covered in fur as black as her hair. "Hey, is this tail real?" She turned around and placed her hands on his shoulders, bringing herself close to him.

"Vould you like to find out?" She began to purr. "Damn, girl. You move fast. I like it." His ears perked up slightly. "Ooh. I've bagged myself einen Hundjunge." More purring. It was really turning him on. "Whoa. Hey, now. Who said anything about 'bagging' any kind of hand yanker?" She giggled. "Nein! Ich habe nicht 'einen Handreißer' gesagt. Ich habe 'einen _Hundjunge'_ gesagt." He didn't say anything for a few seconds. "Okay. You're hot, and you're into me, but I didn't understand one word of that. Girl, if this is gonna work, you need to speak either English or Japanese with me."

"I said 'I didn't say 'hand-yanker', I said 'dog-boy'', silly. So...Let's cut zhe crap. You turn me on, hot stuff. Your place or mine?" Geez, was she adamant. "How's about your place, babe? I got a roomie who might not approve."

"Mmm...My parents are home. Zhat vouldn't be such a hot idea." She placed her hand on her chin, thinking. Something came to her. "Hey, I've got a dirty idea." She whispered in his ear. "Hardly anybody is out zhis late. Vhat do you say we go to zhe fountain? Or maybe zhe park?" He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled himself close. "Girl, I like the way you think." He paused. "Wait, wait, wait! Parents!? How old are you?"

"Vhat does it matter? I am over eighteen, If zhat's vhat you're so vorried about. I am nineteen." Kotarô now realized that he had no idea just how old he was. He had to be eighteen, though! Minimum! "Alright. I'm pretty sure we're good to go. Lead the way, beautiful."

He was pretty sure that he was over Chizuru.

xXxXxXx

The new couple didn't encounter a single person as they quietly snuck through the base towards the fountain. It wasn't until they actually reached the fountain that they actually encountered people. It could have been under better circumstances.

When they neared the fountain, Katja placed a hand on Kotarô's shoulder. "Vait…Vhat is zhat zhat I hear?" Kotarô listened quietly and, unable to determine just what the rustling noises were, he slid along the wall that lead to the fountain. He paused at the corner. It was definitely more than one person. One was moaning. "Oh, yes…YES…" He slid back to Katja. "We're going to have to try the park. It looks like the fountain is occupied." He had to speak in an undertone, lest they be heard. The girl at the fountain was getting louder. "YES! Oh, GOD, yes! Deeper! Faster!" Kotarô could have sworn he'd heard the voice before, but he couldn't remember where. "Oh, it feels so good! Oh, yes, yes, YES!!! OH, YES! Cum inside me!" Kotarô felt himself turning red. "I can't believe I'm listening to this…" He noticed that Katja was firmly gripping herself between her legs, and that she wasn't acting how someone who'd actually done it before would act. He didn't say anything.

The girl at the fountain moaned even louder. She had obviously gotten what she wanted. "Oh, it's so hot…" Where had he hard that voice before? It was driving Kotarô mad. "Now…in here…" Kotarô could almost picture her turning over and presenting the second hole to persons unknown. The girl squeaked. "Houston, we have penetration…" Kotarô muttered to himself. It was several more minutes before anything else happened. Kotarô and Katja had almost recovered enough to leave while they weren't hypnotized, but the girl started up again. "Ooooohhh…I'm about to cum! Faster! Deeper! Oh, YES!" She screamed. Loud enough to rattle windows. "Kotarô…I don't want to hear zhis…But I can't move!" He nodded. "I know…I can't move either…Damn…We've got a screamer…" It was sounding as though the two were trying to wrap it up.

"Oh…that was fantastic…You're sure you're roommate's back by now?" Her partner spoke soft enough so that neither Kotarô nor Katja could hear him. "We should do this again tomorrow." He spoke again, this time loud enough to hear; but not recognize. "I'm sorry, but I've got to spend tomorrow getting ready to leave. You should, too. You're coming with us, you know…"

"I know, but I want to be with you some more, Negi." Kotarô froze. Negi? What the hell!? "How did Negi get laid before me!?" Kotarô whispered. "Is tat your roommate, Kotarô?" He nodded. "Yeah, that's him, but I can't remember who _she_ is. That's what's been bugging me." Her voice suddenly clicked. "Holy shit. It's Anya! What the fucking hell!?"

"Negi! I think I heard something!" Anya had heard Kotarô's outburst. "Oh, shit. Run, Katja!" The two took off and were well out of sight before Negi searched where they were just hiding.

xXxXxXx

The park was darker than any other place in the base. If anyone else was there, nobody could see them. Kotarô slumped back against a tree and sighed. "Too close…Hey, Katja…"

"Call me Katie, bitte."

"Katie. Be honest with me. You've been leading me on this whole time, haven't you?" He could almost feel her turn red. "Vell…I…ja. Ja, I vas. I've never been in any kind of relationship viss a man before. I first saw you just after I vas brought here, vhen you vere going to the Northlands last veek. You valked right past me. I…I guess it vas love at first sight. I've seen you most every day since, like you vere following me…" He heard the grass rustle as she sat down nearby. "I saw how you acted, and I zhought that you'd never like zhe real me. I'm just a bad little kitty…" She started to weep quietly. Kotarô felt his way over to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"Hey, now. Come on. There's no need to cry. I don't care if you're a super-horny German cat-girl, or the German cat-girl form of my friend Nodoka. I like being with you. I know we haven't known each other long, but I've enjoyed the time we've spent together." She sniffled. "Don't you dare patronize me…"

"I'm not. I'm being sincere with you. I can look most people in the eye and tell them that God riding winged hippo came sliding down a rainbow and gave me a pot of leprechaun's gold without batting an eye. I can't do that with you." Nothing. "If I was lying, would I do this?" He took a deep breath and kissed her deeply. He waited for the slap, but found her kissing back. He broke the kiss. "You sly little kitten! You tricked me!" She giggled. "Kinda…The story vas true.. I just vanted to zee how you vould react. I said I vas a bad little kitty, didn't I?" Clever. "Alright. You got me. What is it that you want me to do, Katie?"

"Die only zhing I vant you to do is to be honest vith me, and be yourself."

"Alright, I'll be honest. I think that you're the most wonderful person I've ever met and the best thing to happen to me. I…I think I love you, Katie." She was silent for a minute. "Do…Do you really mean zhat?" He didn't even need to think about it. He already knew the answer, and Naba Chizuru was now only a memory to him. "Yes. I love you." She quietly squealed like a love-struck schoolgirl and flung herself at him, wrapping her arms around him in an embrace. He could feel her passion. It was much more powerful than anything that Chizuru had shown him. They kissed again, only this time with more passion.

The heat of passion flared, and the kiss grew more intense. The two fell to the ground, Katja beneath. Kotarô slipped one hand beneath her shirt and cupped her breast. She gasped. "Cold…" She unbuttoned his shirt, one button at a time, and carefully removed it. She felt his chest. His muscles bunched under her touch. She slowly slid her hands down and felt a different kind of hardness. He moaned. He quickly broke the kiss to remove her shirt, jacket, and skirt. She wasn't wearing any panties. He kissed his way down her neck, all over her breasts, belly, and beyond. "Oh, yes…" She could hardly breath, and it wasn't long before she stopped worrying.

He slipped his tongue inside of her, causing her to clench. She loved the feeling as he went to town tonguing her insides. She meowed as he hit her sweet spot. He removed his tongue and returned to her lips, allowing her to taste herself. _I don't taste half bad…_ She briefly thought. He slipped his fingers inside of her and pumped them in and out. She began to purr behind the kiss. With her cat-like strength and speed, she flipped him over and quickly removed his jeans. She wrapped her hands around his boner and slowly rubbed up and down. She felt it jerk at her touch, and she succumbed to her urges. She slipped him into her mouth. She ran her mouth up and down it, using her tongue and (occasionally) her teeth. It wasn't long before he erupted inside of her mouth. She swallowed it all. "Ugh. It's bitter…" She pulled his cock out of her mouth and licked his shaft. You're so tasty, Kotarô! She nibbled on his head a bit before she climbed on top of him and prepared to insert him. "Katie…Are you sure you want to do this?" She thought about it quickly and nodded. She lowered herself onto him. They both moaned. She used her legs to slowly, yet fluently pump up and down. "It's so big, Kotarô…" She was so wet that she almost slipped off several times. She gradually began to pump faster and harder, with more enthusiasm. "Oh…It feels so good…" She purred as she continued to rise and fall on top of him. He struggled violently against his animal instincts, trying not to succumb to desire. He failed.

In a quick display of masculinity, he rotated the couple so that she was on the bottom and on all fours. He vigorously thrusted in and out. She was moaning quite loudly by now, and felt quite tingly. "It's going so deep. It…it feels…good." She brushed her tail against him, and he slowed down out of surprise. "No…Don't stop. Please…" He resumed thrusting, even more vicious than before. She was tough for a cat.

"Kotarô…I…I think…maybe…I'm… I'm going to…to cum…" He also felt the sensation that she felt, and released inside of her. She came as well not long after. "It _is_ hot…ohhhh…More…Don't stop…" He kept pumping, and she kept moaning. Over and over he came inside of her wet hole. The sensation was like crack. Only after they both had lost track of the time did he finally withdraw. Cum dripped from her pink pussy. "No, not yet!" She grabbed the wilted manhood that had taken her virginity and slipped it back into her mouth. As soon as she did, the ceiling exploded in a hail of fire and stone.


	12. Chaos

**CHAPTER 12**

"Director Tepes! They've found us! We're under attack!" Another explosion rang out, loud and crisp, rattling the windows. Alucard had to shout in order to be heard. "Get out there and hold the front lines. Stall them as long as you can, I'll be there as soon as I rally my platoon." The infantryman began to argue, but cut himself off. "Sir! Yes, sir!" He unslung his gun and ran out the door. Alucard casually grabbed Masamune off of the rack behind his desk and strolled out of his office, signaling his crew. By the time he reached the main doors to the complex, his entire squad had assembled outside. Every one of them had obviously just thrown on their garments, as they were all a mess. Especially Kotarô and the girl who had apparently accompanied him. "Yo! Alucard! What the hell's goin' on? How did they find us?" Kotarô couldn't help but blurt out. "Kotarô-kohai." Alucard said calmly. "Uhhh…Yes, sir?" Kotarô didn't know how to respond. Alucard had never addressed him as an underling before. Alucard cast him a death glare. "Shut up. This is not the time to be asking stupid questions. Today is the day that we stand and fight harder than we ever have before. Not only are our lives riding on this, but the lives of many others. _They_ are your first priority. We'll split up into two squads. Negi-kun. Take Kotarô-kun, Anya-chan, Konoka-chan, and Asuna-kohai. You clear the west side. Keep your eyes open for wounded. Setsuna-kohai, Nekane, Kaede-san, Kū Fei-chan, and I will take the East side and eliminate any intruders. I'll have my familiars bring any wounded to you." He looked around at the massive damage that the base had sustained in such a short period of time. "Does everyone understand their orders?" Everyone cried out in unison. "SIR! YES, SIR!" Alucard nodded. "Alright, then. Everyone: Move out." Alpha squad vanished in a blur as Beta squad took to the eastern streets, amongst a sea of dead. "My God…What's happening?" Setsuna's question went unanswered for several moments until Alucard decided to speak up.

"The forces of Pandæmonium. I don't know how much the other troops have filled you in on, but the recent demon attacks have been stemming from a castle to the west. A castle that wasn't there until the Rukavi fell. That castle is of the Lord Master of Hell. The title of "Satan" and "the Devil" has passed to many throughout the centuries. At one point, even my father has held that title. That was before I killed him three hundred years ago." Nekane interrupted him. "Wait…you said that Dracula was your father. Negi told me that he attacked the academy not too long before you arrived. If you killed your father three centuries ago, how could he have attacked Negi?"

"Simple. Father has been resurrected a total of seven times throughout history. Including when he attacked Negi. He was resurrected by the Rukavi in the hopes that he would kill Negi, and his friends, and stop me from escaping the collapse of that world for them. Fortunately, they sorely underestimated both Negi and me; and their 'savior' was defeated. In fact, Father was part of the reason that I came to your world in the first place…the reason we met. So I guess the old man's good for something after all. Now, back to the matter at hand. After father died, the title passed to the being he deemed as his successor. That person coveted power more than anything, so he coveted mine. A power that I had sealed away long ago. The fiasco not too long ago…that was when _it_ broke free; and he claimed it. Now he is a being of supreme power and seeks to eradicate us all, so that his rule goes unopposed. I'm not sure if he knows about Chaos. Maybe he knows, and thinks he is capable of slaying a god. Maybe he's just ignorant of the disaster he has brought upon us all. Either way: We must defeat this last enemy and appease the angry god…Or everybody _everywhere_ is going to die."

"I think I get it now…all of those severe mood swings and the whole thing that happened in the mountains. That was your dark side, wasn't it? And now our enemy has that power, so we must kill him or the god Chaos will destroy the world?"

"Exactly, Setsuna-chan. But the Nexus is the world where all universes meet. Chaos will not only destroy the world, but the entire Nexus. If the Nexus collapses, every other universe will collapse; not having anything to support them. If we lose…it will be the end of _everything_. That's why we can't lose. Nobody is allowed to die…That's an order." The ground before them exploded in a hail of cobblestone, bringing the ground to a sudden halt. Another explosion blew apart the building next to them. Two loud bangs echoed. "Damn! Someone's got an anti-tank rifle! Take cover!" They barely had time to move before the ground beneath them exploded. "Dammit! Where is he?" Setsuna yelled over the clatter of debris. Alucard was silent for a moment, scoping out the terrain, before pointing out over the base to a rocky ledge in the far distance. "There! The bastard's sniping at us with that rifle!" Nekane pulled a rope out from under her jacket and lashed it to the end of her halberd. "I've got him." She stood up, and right into the path of the next projectile. She disappeared into a cloud of dust, shrapnel, and blood. Her weapon fell to the ground. "HOLY SHIT!" Cried the children, but Alucard held up his hand to silence them. "Be patient." The dust and debris settled to reveal the severely mutilated (and still standing) corpse of Nekane. Thin threads of shadows began to stitch across the gaps in her torso, and wound together where she was missing entire limbs. Slowly, the shadows were putting her back together. The entire process took a total of about thirty seconds. Nekane placed a hand on the back of her neck and popped it. "That rifle packs a whollop." She picked up her weapon and hurled it like a spear towards the monster. The polearm hit the rock about ten feet above her target. Nekane pulled the rope hard, dislodging her halberd and starting a rockslide that crushed the demon on its path to the floor. "We're clear. Let's move."

"Whoa, whoa. Hold on. Nekane-chan…What the hell was that?" Kaede was stunned. Nekane looked at her. "What's so surprising? Didn't you know that vampires can regenerate? Unless we're completely killed…even if we're totally mutilated…we'll return to our original state. We don't need to fear death, as very few know how to put one of us down for good. Perhaps the most thorough method would be to completely destroy our bodies. Then there would be nothing left to regenerate. Do you understand? Now let's move. We're wasting time." The fivesome continued through the streets, finding several corpses; but no enemies. "Where everyone at? There no monsters." Kū Fei couldn't help but voice her thoughts. As soon as the words left her mouth, the ground shook violently. "Ignore it," ordered Alucard. "It's just an earthquake."

"Hold on, Kū. I think I hear something." Kaede stopped, listening, and the rest followed suit. Alucard sniffed the air. There was a faint sound of gunfire from up ahead, and the smell of gunpowder prevented Alucard from indentifying the survivors. "Move! Whoever's still fighting is going to need some backup." As they raced through the streets, fighting against time, the sound of gunfire grew steadily and progressively louder. As they rounded a final corner, they found themselves in the middle of a battlefield. Corpses (of both sides) littered the ground. A small battalion of soldiers was holed up in the town's center, pinned down behind makeshift barriers next to a row of buildings on the north side of the compound, firing in all directions and praying for the best. Alucard began to walk through the hail of bullets, his body jerking with each absorbed bullet, pointing and barking orders. "Kū. Nagase. Help those soldiers! Patch up the wounded and kill anything that isn't allied. Setsuna. Nekane. With me. We're going for blood. Nekane…this is one place you haven't had much experience, so please resist the urge to feed." Nekane snapped off a quick, crisp salute and readied her weapon. "Nekane, take the west flank; Setsuna, cove our rear. Don't let anything through. Watch yourselves. We knew that they are using highly-lethal weapons. If everything starts blowing up, that's your cue to retreat. Both of you: run patrol at a 1 km radius from this area. I'll contact you when the soldiers are patched up and ready for evac. Go." Nekane and Setsuna took off down their designated course, and dropped out of sight. Alucard pulled a headset out of the pocket of his jacket and placed in his ear. He tapped in twice to make sure it worked, then opened up an open-wave com channel. "This is Director Alucard Tepes calling any Genesai survivors within range. Come in, come, over." He waited a couple seconds, then the static in his ear began to fade slightly. "Director! Wh…y…r…location?" The signal was severely weak and was dotted with gunfire, but he recognized the voice. "Asakura-san! Is there anyone else with you?" More static, then the distinctive sound of a machine gun. "Yes, sir. I have Miyazaki, Yukihiro, Tai, and some other soldiers I don't know. Pocket and Rosa were here, too; but they went looking for you." The signal was much better now. She must be moving closer; or farther in-range, at least. "Alright. Bunker down and hold your position. We're patching up wounded now, and we'll come find you for evac once they can walk. If you find any survivors, tell them that orders are to stay with your group. We're going to evac the base." He paused. "Girl...I hope you brought some ammo." "Understood." A small break filled with automatic fire. "Holding position. I hope you don't take too long, sir. I don't know how much longer we can last."

"We won't be long. Just hold your position and fight. If you need incentive, Asakura-san, then think of this: If you fail your orders, Miyazaki-san will be killed by the demons. As will everyone else with you." She was silent for a moment. "Orders received and understood. Hold position and shoot to kill. Over and out." The link went dead; and just in time, too. A fissure split the ground in two, and demons began to pour forthwith. Alucard drew Masamune and took his stance. He rushed headlong into the horde, swinging the katana and bifurcating demons left and right. Blood splattered everywhere, on everything. Demon after demon disappeared into a cloud of orange blood as Alucard tore through them on a murderous rampage. The monsters never saw him coming. They barely had time to see the one in front of them die before they met the same fate. And then it was over. A smoldering fissure that held no more foes, but was filled with their corpses. The ground shook, and another opened up behind him. He wiped a drop of blood off of his cheek and smiled a wicked grin. "Very well, then. Bring it on."

xXxXxXx

"Here they come! Open fire!" The ear-splitting sound of gunfire filled the stale air as Ensign Asakura Kazumi leaned around the corner of the building and opened fire on the approaching monsters. The other soldiers that actually carried a gun followed her lead. Kazumi ducked back around the corner and popped a fresh clip into her gun. _Dammit! I need my bird, but I can't get to the hangar. Not to mention I've got orders._ "I'M A PILOT, DAMMIT! NOT A SOLDIER!" She stepped out from around the corner and opened up on the monster at full automatic. Demon after demon disappeared into a pool a blood, and then here were none. Kazumi started barking orders. "Alright, men. Command has told us to bunker down and wait for backup. We're getting the hell out of Dodge." She pointed to two unknown soldiers. "You two…scout out an area where we can hole up relatively safely. Move. They're not gonna stay down long." She sat down on a chunk of debris and exhaled, brushing her unpinned hair out of her face. She hadn't bothered to get it cut, and it now hung down well past her shoulders. "Nodoka…Can you remember the days back at Mahora? Back when the only trouble we got into was a slight brush with some nameless person whose ass we'd kick, then everything went back to normal…Negi-sensei as stubborn as ever. When our biggest problem was "How will I win them over, today" or "What's for lunch?" Not "Is today the day when I go out with a bang?" or "How many people died yesterday?" I know they were only about a month ago…but they seem just a distant memory to me. Maybe it has something to do with the time distillation effect…or maybe war really _does_ change a person. Who's to say, really?" Nodoka sat next to her and gave her a peck on the cheek. "Don't worry. Once Alucard-san gets here, it'll all be over. Then we can go live a normal life up on the surface…together." Kazumi looked deeply into her soft, purple eyes. "Yeah…I'd love that, Nodoka. We can settle down…and forget that this ever happened. Just you 'n' me."

"Hey, lovebirds. We've gotta move. Something's coming, and it sounds _really fucking big_." Ayaka looked really frightened. They heard it, too. The silence, occasionally punctured by a deep booming _thud_. It sent a chill down their spines. Kazumi got up quickly. "Take cover, men. Something's coming, and it's not pretty. Everybody group up, no more than five per group. Hide in the buildings, preferably someplace with lots of debris. Maybe it won't think to look there. Move!" The platoon split up and took shelter in the buildings Kazumi, Nodoka, and Ayaka weaseled underneath a pile of debris in what appeared to have once been a hotel, until they found themselves underneath the still-intact stairs. Debris blocked the only path in or out, and Kazumi quickly plugged that up with some of the rubble that was not blocking them in. There was a slight gap between a piece of the stairs and the debris, allowing a little light in. Kazumi grabbed a rock and got ready to wedge it into the gap, should the demons begin to look around. "Okay, guys. Keep calm. We don't have a whole lot of oxygen. No talking unless absolutely necessary."

The sounds grew progressively louder until dust was continually showering the girls. Kazumi realized that her little stone would not be enough to keep it from finding them if it wanted to. She placed it silently to the ground as the trio shied away from the little crack. The thundering steps came to a sudden halt when the noise was at its loudest. It was obviously in the courtyard where they had briefly rested. They could hear the behemoth outside sniffing. Searching for them. It let out a rumbling roar that made their blood run cold before slamming its hand into the building and tearing it apart, leaving the girls now fully exposed. Nodoka let out a scream as debris rained down around them. The beast was easily thirty stories tall, with white flames spewing from between its jagged teeth. An eerie glow emanated from deep within its empty eyes sockets and its breath reeked of decay. Kazumi noticed that, in place of its right forearm, it possessed some sort of projectile explosive. A rocket launcher, perhaps, or an RPG. It loosed a bone-chilling scream in their faces, throwing spittle over everything. "Dammit!" Kazumi reached for her hip and drew her sidearm. She leveled it at the thing's face and unloaded the clip. It didn't even notice. Kazumi reached for another clip, but the creature was faster. It swung its hand again, causing the girls to dive or die. Kazumi's gun slid across the ground, well out of reach. It leveled its augmented arm at Kazumi. She felt her heart stop. Was this the end?

The barrel of the weapon appeared to draw in energy and became coated in a thick sheet of ice. Several bolts of lightning struck the creature and it roared out in agony. It turned around to face its attacker, a young girl dress in red. She drew her blade. "Y'all better get ahtta here." Her sword burst into flames. "This's gonna get ugly." The behemoth roared and swung its frozen weapon at Tai, who dodged gracefully and leapt up onto its arm. She raced up to its head, eager for blood; but it caught her before she could make it. Kazumi dashed for her gun, picked it up and reloaded it. Once again, she aimed at its face and unloaded. Again: nothing. She holstered her pistol, heard Tai swear violently, and looked up in time to see her plunge the sword into her captor's hand. The beast roared again and threw his victim. She was thrown clear across the courtyard and through first several structures she encountered. The beast turned its eyes to the first person it saw. Ayaka, who lay unconscious on the ground where she had been hit by a falling stone. It raised its weapon (now unfrozen by its violent beating) and fired a missile into the air. The rocket exploded harmlessly before it could collapse the ceiling. The beast reached down to grab the unconscious girl…and had its hand removed by a quick flash of silver. It roared in surprise and fear. Asuna stood between Ayaka and the beast, sword at the ready, and drenched in blood (which still spurted from the thing's arm). "You keep your damn hands off of her!" Asuna angled her weapon so that the blade pointed up and the tip at the beast's leg. She lunged forward and, in several quick swings, brought the creature to its knees, screaming in pain. It glared at Asuna and leveled its gun at her. Everything turned white. "_**ΔΙΟΣ ΤΥΟΣ**_!" The creature screamed one final time, a gurgling, choking sound, and collapsed to the ground, dead. Negi landed gracefully on the ground beside them.

"Negi-sensei. Oh, thank God you're here. That thing just showed up out of nowhere. What the hell was that thing?" The response came from behind her. "It was a Moloch, Asakura-chan. It's also been called a Cyberdemon because of its cybernetic enhancements. You can even see all the cables and such hanging off of its back." Kazumi turned with a start and sighed. It was only Alucard and Beta squad, complete with tagalongs. "Alpha. Report." Negi snapped to attention. "Sir. We have had no progress until now, sir." Alucard nodded slightly and turned to Kazumi. "Report, Ensign. What happened here?" Kazumi told Alucard the entire story of how she had awoken to an explosion and how as she looked out the window, she saw streams of…things flowing into the underground chasm. She threw on her combat outfit and grabbed her weapons, hoping to get to the hangar uninterrupted so she could get her bird and provide air support. She wound through the streets until she ended up when she was now, caught in a shootout and fighting to save the innocents until they were forced to hide from the Moloch. That brought them to now. She realized something. "Oh, shit! Tai hasn't returned yet! She could be seriously hurt!" Kazumi took off over the ruined buildings through which Tai had passed until the ruins stopped. Kazumi looked left and right, searching for her; but couldn't find her. Alucard placed a hand on her shoulder. "I don't sense her life force anymore. "Don't bother searching for her. She's gone…She died to save you all. Let us honor her sacrifice by bringing death to those who are responsible. We will escort you to your ship." He got on his headset. "All units: fall back to the hangars. We're evacuating and blowing the base. Be there in ten minutes or find another way out." He turned to the rest of the survivors. "Move. We only have ten minutes before the base blows. I've already set the bomb." Alucard turned and walked away, the others lingered in mourning and followed him towards the hangar. They had lost a good friend.

There were more survivors than they had previously though. Pocket and August, the sniper who had saved their asses back in the mountains, and many nameless faces were waiting at the hangar to greet them. Alucard gave the order for evacuation and pressed the button to seal off the airlock. The doors hissed and began to close painfully slowly. "Let's get out of here. The base is a lost cause. We can't save it. Those of you in my platoon, say farewell to your loved ones. If you don't know how to fight," He nodded towards Nodoka and Ayaka. "Then get of Echo-13." The pilots climbed into their ships and began the liftoff sequence while the infantrymen climbed into the back and fastened themselves in place. Rosa climbed into the back of Kazumi's ship, along with the survivors of 3-A. Nekane and Pocket stayed with Alucard to watch the others lift off safely. A whirlwind whipped up around them, causing hair and loose clothing to flutter wildly, as the fleet of ships roared to life. The sheer pressure even forced Nekane to take a step back, or be swept away in the gale. All of the ships jerked violently off of the ground and remained hovering for a few seconds as the pilots retracted the landing gear, then all but one began to nose upwards and roared out and away, awaiting further orders. Pocket took a single step onto the dropship when a hideous scream caused them all to turn. Not soon enough. Pocket had barely enough time to evade before a crude spear pierced his arm and exploded. He screamed in pain and fell out of the ship. A legion of countless monsters was clamoring through the still-closing blast doors. Alucard swore. "Nekane, grab him and get on the ship NOW. Get out of here." She hesitated, fearful, but nodded and ran for the ship. As soon as she grabbed the fallen soldier and was safely aboard and the doors closed, Alucard opened a comm. channel with the ship. "Kazumi! Get out of here, now! I'll keep them off of you." The static fizzled into the redheaded pilot's seductive voice. "Sir! I can't just…" He cut her off. "NOW, KAZUMI!" He drew Masamune and disappeared into the riot. It was easy to keep an eye on him in the midst of the monsters. Just follow the blood spray. Kazumi let out a heavy sigh, swearing at the vampire under her breath as she floored the accelerator. As the ship picked up speed, an alarm began to shrill followed by the loud clattering of metal, then everything was silent. Kazumi had her eye on the display. "…What the hell was that?"

xXxXxXx

Alucard knelt on the ground, surrounded by a sea of death. The odor of blood and sweat in the air, and more approached. Alucard stumbled as he climbed to his feet. He had never fought so many at once. An arm slipped around his back, and his left arm was draped over a shoulder. Nekane dragged him to the far end of the hangar. Alucard was shocked. "What are you doing here? I thought you left in the dropship…" She smiled at him, one of her beautiful smiles that always managed to stop his heart with passion. "If I lost you, it would be the same as when you lost Maria. I'd be desolate and alone. The way I see it, either we live together…or we die together. I'm never leaving your side. Besides, we couldn't just let our CO die on us." He noticed the one word. "We…?" Now that he was alert, he heard the sound of high-caliber gunfire.

"Dammit! Does nobody follow orders anymore!?" He shrugged Nekane off and hit Pocket in the face. "I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE!" Pocket ignored the blow, and Alucard noticed that his right arm was completely missing. "Nobody has enough magic left to patch me up, sir…I'm not gonna make it, anyways…I might as well be your diversion," He shouldered Betsy. "Go out with a bang, y'know?" He stepped outside of the blast doors, which were now almost closed. Alucard was right behind him. The demons drew near. Lumbering, snarling monsters that thirsted for blood. The blast doors hissed, creaking together in agony, crying for more time to seal. Time they didn't have. Pocket took a deep, sorrowed breath and stepped forward with a look of conviction upon his face. "You'd better get in there, Alucard. I'll hold them off." His skin was pale and drenched with still-dripping sweat. "No! Not alone you won't! I won't let anyone else die!" He smiled. "Alucard. You are the son of Count Dracula, and the only chance those children have of surviving. They need your help, much more than I. Besides..." He shouldered Betsy, his treasured gun. "I can take these chumps, easy!" Alucard grew more furious, his rage manifesting in the form of his shadowy aura. "You've lost too much blood as it is! You'll never survive! I WON'T LET YOU DIE!"

"Alucard, I said get in there!" Pocket spun around and his enormous fist connected with Alucard's face, throwing him backwards through the airlock. "Farewell...My friend." Alucard scrambled to his feet as the door slammed shut, sealing seamlessly with a slight hiss. He began to pound madly on the door. "God DAMN it, Pocket! Open the door! THAT'S A FUCKING ORDER!" His desperate words fell upon deaf ears. Pocket took a deep breath and leveled his gun at the approaching horde. "Think you got what it takes to kill me? Bring it on, mother..." His words were drowned out when the hallway lit began to flash wildly as he opened up, tearing demons in half by the dozens with the stream of bullets. Grotesque orange blood painted the walls.

"Pocket! Please! Don't do this! Open the door! I'm begging you!" A single tear dripped down his face. "I can't lose anyone else!" His aura began to distort wildly. An inhuman scream pierced the stillness of the airlock as Alucard's eyes flickered from their normal hue to a vicious luminescent red, while shadows engulfed his arm. He looked over his shoulder and uttered only two words: "Stand back." He drew back his fist and rammed it into the door with as much strength as he could muster. Unable to withstand such a magic-backed force, the door was sheared off.

The hallway was as silent as a grave and as dark as the deepest pits of Hell. There were no corpses, no signs of the great last stand that had taken place in this very spot not seconds before, except for walls painted orange with demonic blood and the countless bullet marks in the walls. In the middle of the bloodied hall, torn to shreds and laying in a pool of crimson, lay Jonathan "Pocket" Meredith's precious gun, Betsy.

Fury boiled up inside of the vampiric prince, forcing him to his knees. He clasped his head in his hands and began to scream inhumanly once more. Shadows danced a tango of death around his body, twisting in the air, vying for his soul. He heard laughter that was all too familiar to him. He violently shook his head back and forth. "NO! Not again, not again! No more! I won't let you take over! Get out of my head! Get out, get out, GET OUT!" _Pathetic. You said that your power exceeded my own, yet you still need me to survive. I aid you now because _he _wishes to kill you in person. No more. Be grateful, whelp._ "I never asked for your help! Leave at once! YOU CAN'T HAVE MY BODY!" It was too late. Bones extended backwards from his forearms, tearing through the skin on his elbows and tapering to a razor-sharp point. Black, leathery wings burst forth from his back with a sickening ripping sound, while spikes of bone pierced through his back to form an external, and very lethal, spine. Shadows crept up from the floor, slowly engulfing the berserking vampire from head to toe. His hair flew in a frenzy of power and his fingers ripped and tore, disfiguring into claws. Skin slopped off of his body, replaced by the living shadows that covered his body. Evil laced the rippling, unstable air as the son of Dracula; Lord of the Vampires reverted to his true form. It had never been more apparent to Nekane that the real nightmare had not even begun.

The real vampire was a wretched sight to behold. His wings spread far beyond their normal reach, and his hair had gone from well-groomed to wild with rage. He looked like a monster described only in legends. So this is why they were feared. Alucard beat his wings once and was gone faster than Nekane could track. Rocks fell from the ceiling and shattered on the ground. There was now a gaping hole in the roof. Nekane quickly grabbed Malamute off of the floor, spread her own wings, and followed him. She just hoped it wasn't too late…

xXxXxXx

Name: Asakura Kazumi. Rank: Ensign. Age:…uhhh…19, now? She realized that she had no idea just how old she really was. Her dropship remained motionless in the night sky, aside from the gentle bobbing up and down on the cushions of air, waiting with the other dropships for Alucard to return with rendezvous coordinates. She was jolted to attention by the sound of an explosion and the comm. channel hissing to life with screams and an S.O.S. "Mayday, mayday! This is Bravo-09! We're going down!" The voice was male and unfamiliar. Kazumi looked out the window and saw the dropship spinning out of control, save for one wing that awaited them below. She watched in horror as the ship smashed into the ground at a full fall and burst into flames. "Kazumi opened a comm. channel, trying to hail the downed ship. "Bravo-09. Come in Bravo-09. This is Foxtrot-10, are you there?" Nothing but static answered her call.

An unearthly noise reverberated through once-calm night sky. It chilled everyone that heard it to their bones. The comm. channel hissed weakly to life.

"May…a…ay…We're…wn…D…'t…now…any…rv…vors…" The communication died as the ground beneath the crashed ship erupted in a tower of all-consuming flame. The ship vanished into the depths below. Kazumi didn't know what to think. "Jesus fucking Christ…Alucard-sempai…Nekane-chan…" A frantic banging on the starboard side of the pilot's window snapped her attention to the other side of the ship. Nekane was there, trying to say something; but Kazumi couldn't quite make out what. She signaled this to Nekane, and she pointed towards the moon. Kazumi looked, and understood immediately the message she was trying to get across. There, outlined in shadow against a blood-red moon, was a figure. It maintained a perfect motionlessness, except for the steady and occasional beat of its tattered-looking, holey, wings. Just looking at it struck Kazumi with fear; an ancient, primal, unexplainable fear. She knew who it was. That made her all the more afraid. The only feature you could make out of the once-proud vampire was the eyes. Those hideous, merciless, unholy eyes. Eyes that showed no mercy, no compassion; only bloodlust. The sound that had struck them all with fear not a minute ago resounded again. When she knew who it was, the sound was even worse. He disappeared. Nekane maneuvered around to the side of Kazumi's ship and forced her way in. She opened the cockpit door and sat in the copilot's seat. "He's headed for Pandæmonium. Scatter the other ships. They'll be killed there. We're to go in alone." Kazumi nodded and gave the order. The other ships turned and sped off in different directions, but only after tipping their wings in a pilot's salute. "So we're dropping into hell, huh? Bring it." Kazumi angled her bird to the west and opened the throttle, praying that she could catch him before he did anything stupid that would endanger the troops or her ship… "I think he's going to go try to end this whole thing."

…Like that… Kazumi sighed and punched the accelerator, following Alucard as best as she could. "Nekane…Do you ever feel like his mother?" She laughed heartily. The sound made Kazumi's skin crawl. The undead were not meant to laugh. "Oh, Lord, no. I've got him wrapped around my finger much too tightly to be his mother." This made Kazumi laugh as well. "It really seems like…uhhh…dying?...has changed you. You don't seem like the same sweet, loving sister that raised Negi-sensei." Nekane began fiddling with her long, blonde hair while avoiding eye contact. "Well…I guess I have changed a little bit. It's nowhere near as bad as I was when I first awoke after converting, when Alucard was taking care of me. I wasn't even the same person. It apparently had something to do with what my nature was then. My new instincts, I guess. Whatever it was…He fixed it. The pain was excruciating; but when it lifted, I could 'see' much more clearly. Before that, my mind seemed to be mired in a dense fog."

"Well…What made you act like such an idiot in the first place? Why would you do something so damned stupid?" Nekane shook her head. "I don't know…It all felt like a dream. It was like I was living in a nightmare. I tried to stop myself, but I had no control over my body…Either way; it's not as bad as it seems once you get used to changes."

"Y'know…I don't think I'm ever gonna understand you mages. So, wait…you said that he 'fixed' a problem you had with yourself. What did you mean?" Nekane continued to play with her hair as she answered. It had become a slightly annoying habit of hers lately. "It was almost as if there was two of me living in one body. Split personalities. I would say and do things against my will. I thought that he'd be able to help himself; but it seems as though he was never able to fix the problem in himself…Not completely, anyways. It's never been more obvious than tonight. A dreadful silence fell over the two of them that threatened to suffocate them both. "Nekane…what's happening to him?" Nekane mournfully shook her head. Pocket…is KIA. He's already lost so much in his life: His first love, his first friends, his mother, his father, and even his best friend Sephiroth…and all those were partially his fault. I think that losing one more person that was important to him finally pushed him over the edge of insanity, causing him to go feral; reverting to his true form. I might be able to stop him, but we'll need to hurry. With every second he grows more powerful, and I can only stop him until he hits a certain point. Once he passes it, he'll have to vent out all of his rage on his own." Kazumi stared intently out the window. "That sounds good. He'll wipe out the bad guys and everything will be fine, right?"

"Wrong, Kazumi-san. It may take him years to vent all of his anger. He's been penting it up for centuries, remember?" Kazumi swore under her breath. They were probably going to die. Kazumi opened her mouth to ask Nekane another question when the ship began to jerk and sway uncontrollably. "Dammit! Something hit us; but what?" She glanced down to see where they were, and noticed that all the trees beneath had been either bent over away from Pandæmonium, or were uprooted completely. She looked up at a gleaming pillar of light in the far distance that stretched upwards into the boundless heavens above. "Oh, shit. That can't be good…" There was a swirling black vortex that obstructed the view of the moon. "Chaos…He's here…" Everything was engulfed in a blinding light that seemed to last for an eternity. They sensed, more than heard, the voice of the god. "The minions of Hell have overstepped their bounds. May the lesson learned this day through punishment be learned throughout and forevermore. This world is at its end. The god Chaos has spoken."

The voice echoed into the infinite bounds of eternity, and the light faded in step. It took several seconds for Kazumi's eyesight to return, and every one of them she worried about crashing into something. He worries were very reasonable; for as soon as her eyesight returned, she almost immediately had to begin weaving between airborne monstrosities that littered the airspace surrounding Pandæmonium. She yelled into the back, asking for someone to shoot the bastards. "Hold on to your butts! We're in for some chop!" She jerked the stick back and forth, weaving between man-sized monsters and over the speed of sound. Kotarô stuck his head into the cockpit. He was greener than grass. "Can we land here? Please? I don't feel so g-g-good anymore…"

"GET YOUR ASS BACK IN YOUR SEAT AND STOP BITCHING!" Sweat poured down her face as she struggled to maintain control of the ship while maneuvering between airborne monsters at supersonic speeds. Everything was riding on her. Kotarô slunk back to his seat next to Kū, who put a comforting arm around his shoulder and joined Rosa in prayer. Most everyone was joining them in praying for the best. The luminescent castle was quickly approaching and Kazumi, noticing a convenient clearing in the rocks nearby, cut off the throttle and swung her bird into position. The ship slid on the air to a silent halt above the clearing. Kazumi cut the power and the ship gently fell to the ground. Both Kazumi and Nekane climbed into the back, where Kazumi opened up the drop hatch on the side and very bluntly said: "Get the fuck off of my ship." Nobody argued and piled out of the ship into the waiting horde of monsters, where the battle began. Negi hesitated by Nekane. "This is it…isn't it, Sis?" Nekane nodded slightly, grabbed both her halberd and Alucard's Masamune, and jumped out into the fray.


End file.
